The Horrors of Our Love
by SweeneyOCD98
Summary: Ludwig Beilschmidt is a military captain at Auschwitz when he meets a young prisoner named Feliciano. What is an Italian doing at a camp? NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Okay! This is my first attempt to write a serious story and a story that's not a one-shot. My class is learning about World War II in school and we watched _Schindler's List._ By the way, that is an amazing movie. So I decided to write a WW II story because of that and the fact that I'm doing a report on Auschwitz. I hope you enjoy!**

The day was black and grey. Then again, the sun never shined on that condemned place. It was kept in secrecy, at least for a little while. The world knew, but no one knew the depth of the horror. And even if they did, they couldn't protest. No, a person would never dream of revolting. They couldn't; they'd be sent there, too.

It was often described as a living Hell, and rightfully so. Anyone who was unfortunate enough to step foot on the ground would agree whole-heartedly. The only colors there were grey, black, red, orange, and white. Grey for the color of the sky and dirt. Black for the color of the souls who ran the place. Red for the blood that was shed. Orange for the flames that engulfed them. And white for the ashes that fell.

Of course, it wasn't Hell to them. To the Germans, it was a place of righteousness. To the Nazis, like Ludwig Beilschmidt. His title was a military captain, respected by his soldiers and his superiors. Blonde hair and blue eyes, he was the perfect German soldier. He was Hitler's perfect vision for an Aryan future. There were some soldiers who would do anything for their Fuhrer. They would kill anyone, including themselves, for the "Fatherland." Ludwig wasn't one of those soldiers.

Sure, he respected his boss and agreed with his orders to a certain extent. But in all honestly, he did not like those camps. While he though that the Germans were superior, he wasn't sure if that meant the Jews had to be exterminated. But he didn't want to think about that. He would just follow his orders and hope for the war to end soon. For now, he was just a pawn in Hitler's plan. Nothing more, nothing less.

So here he was, Ludwig Beilschmidt, military captain of the SS, standing at the front gates of Auschwitz. Birkenau, to be exact. This was the last place he wanted to be right now; he would rather be curled up in his bed with a good book. But instead, he was sitting at a makeshift desk several feet away from the newly arrived train of prisoners. As the latches opened, German shepherds barked furiously as a large group of people were pushed down the ramp and over the Ludwig and other soldiers. The process began.

"Name?" Ludwig asked.

"Jacob Hirsch," a scared-looking man replied.

"Occupation?"

"Watchmaker." Ludwig looked up from his glasses. The man looked weak.

"Age?"

"Forty-nine." A forty-nine year-old Jewish watchmaker? He wasn't fit for work. Ludwig wrote Jacob's name down under a certain column and ordered him to the group to the right. Poor man, he almost felt sorry for him. Ludwig repeated this process for five more people until a young man stood in front of him. The boy had big brown eyes, tan skin, and auburn hair. He didn't look like a Jew…

"Name?"

"Feliciano Vargas." That name sounded Italian…

"Occupation?"

"Musician."

"Age?"

"Eighteen." An eighteen-year old Italian musician? What was he doing here? Italians were a part of the almighty Axis. Either way, he was young and fit for work. Ludwig ordered him to stand with the group to the left. This prisoner was safe, for now. Ludwig's eyes were transfixed on Feliciano. Feliciano met his eyes and smiled. Smiling? What was there to smile about? What a strange boy.

Feliciano and the other prisoners were ordered to march towards a small room. There, they had their hair cut and were given striped uniforms. They were thin and barely protected against the cold weather. When this process was finished, the prisoners were taken to their hut. Feli laid down on the wooden bunk bed and was pushed towards the wall as four other people had to share the same bed. Feli felt like he was going to cry. Why him. Surely this was all just a bad dream. The Italian sniffed and stared out the window. He looked at a large, smoking chimney. Why were there snowflakes falling from there?

**Sorry it was short! I wrote it during school while we were watching some stupid hockey movie. Should I continue? Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter! I really want to thank you all for the reviews! I can't believe how many people have already favortited this story and added me to their Author Alert. Thank you so much! I again wrote this in school and I got in trouble for it!**

**Me: *writing in my notebook on my lap***

**Teacher: What are you doing?**

**Me:...Nothing *slides book in desk***

**Teacher: *comes over* What are you doing?**

**Me: Sorry...I was just writing...I'm sorry.**

**Teacher: *takes book and looks through***

**Me: *thinking* _No, no, no! *friends looking at me like "oh shit"*_**

**Teacher: *gives book back* Just do your work.**

**I WAS FUCKING DONE MY WORK! I GOT IN TROUBLE FOR WRITING! BITCH NEEDS TO CHILL! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

Ludwig's eyes opened at the sound of his alarm clock. He sighed. Another day. He tied the laces of his brown combat boots and looked himself over in his mirror. He wore a sleek black uniform with a hat and iron cross hanging from his neck. Somehow wearing that uniform didn't fill him with pride anymore. What was wrong with him? He fed his three dogs and went out the door. Another typical morning of not wanting to go to work.

Feliciano woke up to the sound of a whistle blowing. _"Achtung!"_ A gruff voice filled the Italian's hut. His head turned in the direction of the soldier's voice. A strange feeling filled his chest. It was the blue-eyed soldier that he saw last night.

"Your work begins now," the German continued, "Anyone who is lagging behind will be punished severely." Feliciano shuddered. That soldier was very intimidating. Like a herd of animals, the prisoners ran to the work yard and began hard labor. Their job was to build more cabins for prisoners that had yet to come. When in Italy, Feliciano would often spend his days eating pasta, painting, playing guitar, singing, or sleeping. As you could see, exercise was not on that list. He was ordered to carry a bag of bricks to the workers. He looked down at the bag and gulped. How was he supposed to carry that? "Come one!" he heard a soldier yell, "Work!" He had seen that soldier before. He had light brown hair and brown eyes. He may have only been there for a day, but he already hated that man. He was gruesome, even for one of them. He quickly grabbed the bag. Feli inhaled sharply as a pain shot up his spine. He bit his lip and forced his legs to walk. No, this was way too heavy. He was going to collapse.

Everything around him turned into a blur. His legs gave out, dropping the bag of bricks with a loud thud against the cold ground. As Feliciano looked up, soft amber eyes met a cold blue. "Wah! I'm so sorry!" He got up as quickly as his body allowed. "Please don't shoot me!"

Ludwig stared down at the boy. Why did he feel such pity? He was slacking and should be punished. He raised his hand to strike the clumsy prisoner. Feliciano's eyes widened and he covered his head with his hands, preparing for the impact. He looked so pathetic on the ground like that. It tugged at the Nazi's heart. He lowered his hand and leaned down so his mouth was near Feliciano's ear.

"Just be more careful next time, okay?" he whispered. Feliciano stared at him in disbelief. A merciful Nazi? It was a miracle. From a distance, brown eyes narrowed at the pair.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, sir!" A huge smile broke onto Feli's face. Ludwig's stoic facial expression faltered slightly. "Just go and help over there, ja?"

"Ja! I mean, yes sir!" Feli darted towards the other workers. The soldier stared after the prisoner. Why was he so happy? He's in a prison camp! "Ludwig," a familiar voice called. Ludwig turned to see Corporal Steinway staring at him. "Ah, hallo Corporal."

"Guten tag, Sergeant." (I know I said he was a captain in the previous chapter, but I think sergeant sounds better. That's not much of a difference anyway, right?)

"I was just wondering; why did you let that prisoner go without a single blow, Sergeant?" Steinway asked. Ludwig frowned, "Oh uh, I just told him that I would shoot him if he ever did it again." That was a total lie and the corporal knew it. "Then tell me, sir, why did he seem so happy when he ran away?"

Shit. Steinway may have been younger and a lower ranking than Ludwig, but he was smart. "I suppose he was just happy that I spared his life," he replied casually. Steinway eyed him suspiciously but nodded. He looked around the complex and caught a prisoner barely doing anything. "Hey! Juden!" he ran to the prisoner. Ludwig averted his eyes to the ground. He heard a shot and closed his eyes. Sometimes, he hated his job. Steinway came back over to him. "Dummkopf," he growled. Ludwig nodded his head but couldn't shake off the strange feeling in his chest.

That night, Ludwig lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. That damned Italian wouldn't leave his mind. He watched over him the whole day and that kid kept smiling! What was there to be so happy about? And another thing was bugging him; why was the Italian there in the first place?

**And that's the end to another chapter! I'm going to try to update as soon as possible but since my STUPID teacher caught me I won't be able to write as often. I'm going to try to make these longer too. My friend asked me if this was going to be a smut. I don't know because I've never written one before. I just don't know for now. Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**See! I made it longer! I probably won't update the next chapter for a few days so bear with me. I did the first quarter of this in school when we were supposed to be working on our history reports (up yours, teacher!) I was done anyway so it's not like I didn't do my work. Anyway I'm thanking you again for the nice reviews and the favorites story/author/story alert. I get the updates on my phone and it makes me happy :)**

**Enjoy!**

By this time, Feliciano knew his surroundings. The camp was enormous; it seemed to stretch on for eternity. The soil was grey. The sky was grey. The buildings were grey. Everything was a bleak grey. Soldiers constantly guarded every area of the camp. Escape was unthinkable. The barbed-wire fence stood proud and tall, always intimidating. Most of the cabins looked exactly the same. He was placed in Block 14. Blocks 1-10 were where the hospital was. "Just hope you never have to go," a prisoner warned him. Feliciano wanted to ask why but kept his mouth shut. He'd rather not know. He only knew that whoever went there rarely came back.

The cabin his slept in was positively dreadful. The wooden bunk-beds had no mattress, not even straw. Prisoners had to sleep on the hard wooden surface each night. Aside from the back ache, the worst thing was no blankets. It was mid-November and the prisoners were _freezing. _Those cheap striped uniforms only made it worse. Feliciano asked the prisoners who had been there before him when they would change into some new clothes. They laughed right in his face and told him a month, if he was lucky. That disgusting outfit was already starting to stink like a combination of dirt and sweat.

Two days ago, Feli needed to use the bathroom. "Over there," a prisoner directed him. He saw a large, wooden latrine center. He hurriedly trotted to the building and realized something. The bathroom was the nicest place in the whole camp.

Here's a fun fact: Feliciano is a gourmand. Not a great thing in a death camp. When he received his first ration of food, he was horrified. Stale bread and disgusting soup? No way! He grimaced at the soup. The vegetables in it were surely rotten. Brown with a stranger smell, he did not want to eat it. An older man laughed at him. "Are you seriously going to be picky? You're lucky you have food!" Feli frowned and slowly scooped up a mouthful of soup with his spoon. A rusty spoon, mind you. He held his nose and swallowed it down. Yuck! The only thing that compared with this was food he tried while in London. Other than that, it was the worst thing he had ever tasted. He kept eating with the knowledge that he would have to eat the indigestible rubbish if he wanted to survive. He sniffed. Was the really how he was to spend his life?

"Hey, cheer up, kid," a kind voice attracted his attention. He turned to the man. He was thin like the rest of them, but he somehow looked healthier. Maybe it was because he was smiling. That was it; the man was happy. His face seemed to have a radiant glow to it despite being sunken in.

"You're young and fit for work; they won't get rid of you so easily. What's your name?"

"Feliciano Vargas, and you?"

"Poldek Pfefferberg."

The two shook hands. Feliciano's hand was so much bigger than his. He couldn't help but wonder if that would happen to him one day. "So where are you from," Poldek asked. "I'm from Italy. I came to Germany about six years ago with my grandfather and older brother. I guess we chose a pretty bad time to come here."

"They have camps in Italy too, you know." Feliciano frowned. "They do?"

"Sure. Those damn Nazis have camps everywhere: Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, Austria, Holland, you name it." Feli thought about his home. Was it invaded by the Nazis? He would probably never know. "Feliciano, are you okay?"

The Italian looked back at the man. "Oh, yes. I was just thinking of him is all." Polek nodded and ate the last of his bread. "I'm a bit curious though," he said through bites, "If you're Italian, why are you here? Did you stand up to the Germans?"

"Well," Feliciano blushed slightly, "Not exactly…"

The sound of a whistle cut through the air. Back to work. Feliciano quickly stood up and walked to the yard. Now Polek was just as confused as Ludwig.

If looks could kill, Feli would surely be dead. That scary soldier, whom Feli found out is Corporal Steinway, kept staring at him. What did he do? He has been obediently doing his work for the past three days. Always digging and building without stop. He has managed to not drop or break anything. That was a new record for Feli. So why is it that every single time he turns his head Steinway is is burning a hole through Feli's skull with cold, dark eyes. Feliciano hated those eyes. Those eyes only had the glint of evil in them. He was the pure definition of the word "Nazi."

At around 12:15 Feliciano heard a familiar voice, "I'll take over from here, Corporal." The prisoners collectively looked up. No more Steinway for a while! Not that they liked any Nazi but, you know. Feli was delighted to see that the man who took his place was the blue-eyed soldier. He barely knew the man, not even his name, but he let him go without punishment that one day and he would be forever grateful. He seemed different from the others. "Are you crazy," a fellow prisoner retorted upon hearing this, "They're all the same; cold and bloodthirsty." Feliciano still wasn't sure. He never saw the man kill a prisoner before. Steinway killed without thinking and beat them brutally. The other man merely watched over the soldiers with the same bored expression on his face. Feli hadn't been beaten yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. He even witnessed Polek get a good whipping. "It's not big deal," Polek shrugged, "You get used to it."

He was getting tired of referring to him as "the blue-eyed soldier." Today, he would learn his name. Worming his way around other workers, he was not a foot away from the soldier. He looked over at him. The soldier was looking around the complex with his oceanic eyes, face stoic and uninterested. Feli bit his lip. Should he really do this? Merciful or not, he was still a Nazi.

"Hallo," Feli quietly greeted in German. Ludwig was genuinely surprised to hear a prisoner actually address him. He turned around and saw the auburn-haired Italian that was always smiling. And sure enough, he was smiling right now. "Oh, hallo," he responded. "What do you want?"

"I just want to say hi," he replied innocently.

Ludwig furrowed his brows in confusion. 'Say hi…to a Nazi?"

"Yup. Since you saved me and all I want to get to know you!"

What the hell was wrong with this dummkopf? Was he asking to be shot? "Look, kid, just because I let you go one time doesn't mean I'm merciful. Don't get the wrong idea or I'll gladly disappoint you." This reply hurt, yes, but Feli wasn't giving up. "But you aren't like the others! You never go out of your way to hurt people! You're nice!" Ludwig actually laughed at this. "Nice isn't the right word to describe me. I'm just not bloodthirsty. That's all."

"But you could have killed me," Feli insisted, "Why didn't you?"

Ludwig felt a migraine coming on. Damn, this kid was annoying. He rubbed his temples and looked at the boy. He subconsciously found himself frowning. The kid was getting thin. Too thin. Wait, why did he care? Wasn't this the purpose of the camp? Why should have care about one prisoner? They're all the same! The Italian's voice broke through his thoughts. "Well, why not?"

The German blinked and regained his compsure. "I don't have to answer to a slimy prisoner," he growled, "Now I suggest you get back to work before I shoot you in the forehead. Sehr gut?"

Feliciano visibly shook with fear. "Y-yes, sir!" The Italian practically ran away from him. Lesson learned: all Nazis are the same.

Ludwig was smiling maliciously. Foolish prisoner. He was scum and scum he shall remain until the day he dies. _Which will hopefully_, Ludwig thought, _be soon._ He watched the prisoners work with all their might. Struggling and limping, they worked. The look of exhaustion on their faces was delightful. So devilishly delightful. Even as uncertainty filled his mind, he would think these thoughts. Prisoners were there for work. They were not human. He would keep telling himself this. He believed this. Yes, he believed this. Nothing would change his mind…not the tears on the Italian's face….not the heavy feeling in his heart.

It was in the late afternoon when Feliciano felt those cold eyes on him again. The blue-eyed soldier must have left. Not that he liked the guy, at least not anymore. All he wanted to do was know his name! Why did he have to be so mean? It's not like he asked anything offensive! All day he had tried to get his mind off the soldier's nasty behavior. Polek told him that there is no need to befriend a Nazi. Friend or enemy, they'll kill you in the end. He looked up and watched the man leave. That same stoic expression was still plastered on his face. It was so perfectly controlled. Was he human? Was he the perfect Nazi-robot? Did he have emotions at all? If all of these answers were "no," then why the hell did he spare his life? He wanted to know so very badly. It was eating away at his mind like a parasite.

Steinway took his usual place on a brown lawn chair with a mug of beer on a small side table. "Work!" he shouted. "Remember: 'Arbeit Macht Frei!'" Feliciano rolled his eyes and continued working. That was the biggest lie uttered in the planet. Damn it, he couldn't work! He kept fucking staring at him! He heard footsteps from a distance. They were coming closer, closer, closer… They were right behind him. A cold beam of sweat ran down his neck. "Prisoner A-675!"

Feli immediately halted his actions and faced the soldier. Damn it! He knew it was Steinway! "Yes, sir?" he asked in the steadiest voice he could muster.

The German kept his cold glare locked on Feliciano's eyes. There was silence. No, he must have found out the blue-eyed guy saved him! He was here to finish the job! The silence was excruciating. Every second passed like an hour and every sound seemed like five times louder. "You said you were a musician, correct?" he finally broke the dreaded silence.

"Y-yes, sir!" He gulped. Steinway kept his glare fixed on Feliciano as he talked, as if trying to read his soul. "Then you," he spoke a little softer, "Do not need to work anymore. Come with me." Feli thought his heart was going to pop. This was the end. They needed people who could work, not sing and play an instrument. He was useless. He needed to be eliminated. But then, why just him? Why weren't others along with him? There were may weaker than him. All these questions raced through his head as he followed the man he so despised. As they walked, Feli looked at the other prisoners. Some just laid on the ground. Dirt in their faces drenched in sweat, bones showing, defeated. He wondered what death was better; immediate with bullets or slowly having your body deteriorate. Was there really an answer? They stopped at a large building. It was made out of bricks with large, wooden doors. Steinway turned around.

"We need musicians. You will now play in the camp's orchestra, got it?"

Was this a joke? Was he really being spared…to play in an orchestra? How was this possible? They killed people for the simplest things and now they want a musician? This had to be a trap; he would go in with the other people who said they were musicians and be shot.

"Yes, sir," Feliciano responded.

"Sehr gut," Steinway opened the door. Feli said a silent "Hail Mary." The end. He never thought he would be so young. He yearned to see his brother and grandfather again. Where were they? The last time they saw each other was more than three weeks ago. Was it really three weeks? It felt more like thirty years. He wanted to do so many things. He wanted to excel in the arts, spend time with his family, find love. But then again, love was the reason he ended up here.

He inhaled as the light of the room hit his eyes. He was bracing himself for the impact of bullets, the shear pain and misery. It didn't come. Wait…this was an actual orchestra room! There were people, prisoners with instruments! "What do you play?" Steinway asked. "Violin," Feli responded. The corporal nodded and went into another room. Feli looked around. On the wall, like in every place, was a picture of Hitler. The room was had a wine-red carpet with matching wallpaper. There were many seats around the room with a few rows for walking. The thing that attracted his attention was the huge, wooden stage at the front of the room. The prisoners there were staring at him. "Um…hi," he said awkwardly. "Hello," they said in almost perfect unison. Feli befriended six prisoners. They were two men and three women with a different instrument for each. One woman named Helen played the flute. She had brown hair like the autumn leaves and emerald eyes. She was very pretty. The other woman, Jopie, played the saxophone. She had chestnut-colored hair with chocolate eyes. She was fairly attractive, too. One man, Otto, played the harp. He was balding with coal hair and brown eyes. The other man, Ezekiel, had dark brown hair and blue eyes. He played the drums. The other members of the orchestra kept to themselves when Feli tried to talk to them. Maybe they were just shy.

Steinway came back out through the door in the corner of the room and everyone stiffened. Feliciano couldn't help but smile. He was holding a very beautiful violin. Steinway handed it to him. "Play something. Anything." The Italian nodded and held the instrument in one hand, bow in the other. He played the most beautiful song he knew. He let his hand guide his thoughts as music swept the room. For the first time in what felt like forever, he was genuinely happy. He closed his eyes and savored every moment of his performance. When he was finished, Steinway was smiling. Not an evil smile, but one out of something that Feliciano didn't know. "You're very good. You shall play in the orchestra. You will sleep in the same cabin as the others and receive more rations of food. Don't think this lets you off the hook; it doesn't. You will start to learn your music tomorrow. Got it?" Feliciano nodded happily. "Yes sir! Thank you!" Steinway gave a curt nod and marched out of the room.

"I can't believe," Feli started, "That being a musician could save you from the horrors of this place. Very strange, isn't it?" he turned to the others. "Really strange," Jopie agreed, "But I'm not complaining. We're going to perform for the soldiers tomorrow, I suppose you'll just have to watch because you don't know the piece."

Feliciano tilted his head to the side. "Eh? You play in front of _all_ the soldiers?"

"Yeah," Ezekiel responded, "It's very nerve-racking." Feliciano gulped. That means he would have to play in front of the blue-eyed soldier…

**Yes, this actually happened! Prisoners were able to survive by being musicians. I'm not bullshitting you; look it up. Hehe. Please review~!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh shit another chapter! I still can't believe how many people are adding this story to their Favorites when it was only up to chapter 3! Thanks a lot, fellow yaoi-obsessed fangirls. Sorry I didn't update in a few days but I was pretty busy. I wrote some of this chapter in music class because that weirdo teacher doesn't do anything. **

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>How much time had passed? A minute? A year? Feliciano didn't know. All he knew was that it was the day for his orchestra's performance. He wouldn't partake, though; he would practice alone in the orchestra's Practice Room with his violin. He had to learn a song for the next performance which was in six days. Because it would be his first performance, he was ordered to learn a solo. His new friend, Poldek, rejoiced upon hearing this. "That's great! They're gonna spare you!" Feliciano had his doubts, though. If he played well, he was safe. If he did badly, he would die. That was what Corporal Steinway had told him. Corporal Steinway. He could never stop hating that man with those cold, unforgiving eyes. The eyes that made the Italian prisoner shiver.<p>

So here he was, alone with his violin. He liked to practice alone, anyway. It made him feel better if he made a mistake. He was seated in a relatively large room with a picture of the Fuhrer on the wall, of course. The piece he was given looked fairly simple. He could do this. He positioned the instrument over his shoulder and held his bow near the strings. Time to practice. He moved his hand across the violin. The first few notes were sour and made him cringe. What was he doing wrong? He didn't have time to mess up! The more he worried the worse it sounded. His head was pounding and he felt anger bubble inside of him. Why couldn't he do this? He always had an ear for music and was quite good at any song he attempted. What was wrong with him? He tried to play again. He was still messing up! Come on, this wasn't fair! He needed to do this! He stopped himself. _Take a deep breath, Feli_, he told himself, _doing this won't get you anywhere. _He slowly filled his lungs with air and emptied them once more. The bow glided against the violin's strings. A note that was actually right came from it. He smiled. He continued to read his sheet music and slowly decipher which string he had to play. By the time he was finished going through the sound, he was satisfied. It was slow for now, but pretty. He could surely get it in a few days.

All of the sudden, music filled his ears. But it wasn't coming from his own instrument. In fact, it sounded like it was coming from various instruments. The orchestra's performance must have started. He didn't know what they were playing, but it was quite beautiful. He frowned. How was he supposed to keep up with them? He should practice more. He looked back at his music and repositioned his violin. He tried to practice, but failed. The sound was just too beautiful. The notes surround him, played with him, engulfed him. He felt as if a veil wrapped around his body and made him quiver in delight. His heart thumped and his blood grew warm. The notes lifted him off his seat and carried him down a long, elegant hallway filled with pictures of big-shot soldiers and the Fuhrer. He paid no mind to them; just continued to float towards the source of the sound. He stopped in front of two large, cherry wood doors. He hesitated. What if someone saw he wasn't practicing? He would surely be punished. He heard the orchestra hit a dramatic note in unison. No, he had to see. He quietly peaked his head out the door and gulped. Sure enough, there was a group of Nazis seated directly below the stage, all large and intimidating. The only light in the room was on the performers. Everything else was almost black and he was grateful. No one could see him. He looked at his fellow musicians with awe. They were so good! He yearned to be able to create such elegant sounds. He smiled and let his eyes close. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt at peace.

After a few minutes, the music slowly started to slow and came to one long, dramatic chord. He opened his eyes in surprise as applaud filled the room. He saw the musicians gather their things and bow. Time to retreat to his violin. Just as he was about to turn around and go back through the door, he saw a pair of eyes lock on him. He froze. They were oceanic blue. He gasped and fled down the hallway. Feli was never one for athletics, but he was the best member of the track team back at his old high school. He darted down the hall and quickly opened the door to the Practice Room. He slammed the door behind him and panted. He slid down against the door and put his face in his hands. Did the soldier really see him?

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><p>Ludwig was staring at two large doors. Was that the Italian? Curiosity ate at his brain. He needed to find out. Why? Heck, he didn't know. Something was just nagging his mind telling him, "Go on! Go after him!"<p>

"Hey," he turned to Steinway, "Where is the bathroom?"

"Ah, right through those doors," Steinway pointed to the wooden doors at the corner of the room, "Go down the hallway and it is the second room to the last."

"Ah, thank you."

He quickly made his way through the crowd of Germans and to the doors. He entered the hallway and shut the doors behind him. He looked around the area. There were doors throughout the place. Which one did that damn kid go through? He walked over to the door closest to him and stopped. Simple, yet beautiful notes filled his ears. It sounded like a violin. Where was it coming from? He let his ears guide him down the long hallway, feeling as if he were in a trance. Forget the Italian; he needed to know who was playing that gorgeous tune. The music had such emotion to it, such sadness. His head felt a little fuzzy as all thoughts left his mind. His legs lugged him to the last door on the right side of the hall. The sound was stronger than ever. It had to be in here. He silently turned the golden handle and pushed the door forward. This resulted into him bumping into the door. Shit, the door pulled open instead of push. Attempt number 2. He pulled the door towards him and went into the room. The room had a red carpet like the rest of the building and plum-colored walls with various pieces of sheet music scattered on the floor. His eyes scanned the room, looking for the violinist. His eyes widened in surprise as his eyes fell on a stray curl. The Italian? That's right; he said he was a musician. Silly Ludwig. The Italian's eyes were closed and his lips were curved into a small smile. His hands seemed to have a mind of its own. How was he doing that? His right hand made the bow slither along the strings as his left and held the strings down. Ludwig was completely infatuated by him. His auburn hair was sparkling under the fluorescent lights of the room. It was true that the boy was dirty and a little thin, but there was some kind of angelic quality to him. He blushed and vigorously shook his head. What was he thinking?

He was ripped from his thoughts when an unpleasant note tore through the song. Feliciano instantly opened his eyes and frowned. Damn it! He was getting so good, too! He sighed and started the song again. His eyes wandered from the sheet music and his heart stopped. "Oh!" his hand created an utter monstrosity on his instrument, causing both the Italian and German to cringe. "Oops! Sorry!" he sat up straight, "I'll have the song ready by Wednesday, I promise!" Ludwig just stood there as the Italian continued to ramble on. Wait, why was he crying? He walked to the violinist and put a gloved hand over his mouth. Feliciano stopped breathing. No, he was going to strangle him!

"Why are you apologizing?" the soldier's accent-laced voice asked. Feli looked into the soldier's eyes with surprise. "I thought it was beautiful." He removed his hand from Feliciano's mouth. Bright, amber eyes blinked. Tears trickled down his cheeks and the soldier had the strange urge to wipe them away. He didn't, though. "Oh," Feli said quietly. "I thought you hated it and were going to kill me. Thank, you sir."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "Kill you? Just because your hand slipped and you made a small mistake? Why would I kill you for that?"

"Well, Corporal Steinway said that if I don't perfect this sing by Wednesday that he'll kill me. And you threatened to kill me yesterday…." Something strange happened. A flare of anger and guilt filled Ludwig's heart simultaneously. He put his hand over his chest. What was that?

"Ah, are you okay?" the prisoner asked worriedly. Ludwig looked back up at the Italian. "Oh, ja, ja. Sorry." The two looked away from each other, Feli fiddling with his bow and Ludwig looking down at his feet. Feli would cast quick glances at the German and Ludwig would cast quick glances at the Italian. Feli realized his like another thing about the German. He had hair that reminded him of the sun. Ludwig now felt extremely awkward. Not only because they kept staring at each other, but because that Italian had reminded him of the ugly situation that happened the day before. He did not fall asleep the night before until 3 o'clock because of recurring thoughts about his encounter with the Italian yesterday. He felt almost…guilty. But for what? There was nothing wrong with scaring a prisoner. He really should have beaten the Italian days ago. What was it about this boy that made him neglect his duties? "Uh," Feli's brown eyes lifted up to Ludwig's. blue ones The strange feeling he felt at the door came back. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Ahem…I'm sorry for what happened yesterday….you were just trying to be friendly and I snapped at you. So, uh, yeah." Feliciano could only stare. A Nazi was apologizing to him? This was surreal. A huge smile broke onto his face. He was right! The blue-eyed soldier wasn't like the others! _Damn it_, Ludwig thought, _there he goes smiling again!_

"Oh, you're forgiven a thousand times over!" Feli chirped. Now it was Ludwig's turn to be shocked. He stared into the happiness in the Italians eyes. "Wait, you're going to forgive me that easily? I threatened your life!" Feli nodded happily. "How could you do that?" Ludwig asked. Feli shrugged, "You said you were sorry so that makes it okay!" The soldier could only stare that the excitable prisoner. There was definitely something off about this kid. "So um, what was it that you wanted to ask me yesterday?" Why he was interacting with this prisoner, he didn't know. "Oh," the Italian set his instrument down carefully on the floor, "I was going to ask what your name is," he clapped his hands together.

"Oh, that's right. My name is Sergeant Ludwig Beilschmidt." He hesitated. "And yours?" "Ooo a sergeant? That's fancy! I really like your name Ludwig-"

"No," Ludwig's sharp voice interrupted him, "Call me 'Sergeant.'" Feliciano frowned. "But why? I really like your name!" Ludwig felt his temples begin to throb. This kid was impossible. "Because," he kept his temper, "It isn't proper for a prisoner to call their master by their first name." Feli looked around the room. "Well, isn't it improper for a prisoner and their master to sit and talk like this?" Ludwig shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Well… I guess you're right. Alright listen; you can call me 'Ludwig' only when we're alone. With others present, you are to refer to me as 'Sergeant Beilschmidt.' Sehr gut?" "Jawohl, Ludwig!" The violinist saluted with his left hand. "Ooo, like a secret! I like it!" The soldier had to bite his lip to prevent a grin. "Anyway, what's your name?"

"Feliciano Vargas," he held out his hand. Ludwig stared at his hand for a moment, and then slowly took it in his own. He frowned. Feliciano's hand was already much smaller than his. Feli frowned. Ludwig's hand was much bigger than his. "Ah, yes," a light went off in Ludwig's head, "I remember that name. You're eighteen years-old, right?"

"Yep!" Feliciano grinned. They looked down. Their hands were still intertwined. They quickly withdrew their hands and blushed, muttering apologies to each other in their native tongue. Ludwig instantly missed the warmth he felt from Feliciano's hand. What was going on? Was he falling ill? This was not like him.

The door slammed open making the two jump out of their skin. Steinway was standing in the doorway with a bottle of beer in his right hand. "Ahhhh, Ludwig," he slurred, "I was wondering where you ran off to." His eyes fixed themselves on Feliciano. The Italian flinched and whimpered. The German looked at Feli curiously. "What are you doing with _that?_" Steinway pointed his bottle to Feliciano.

The way Steinway referred to the Italian as a "that" made Ludwig's lip twitch. Good thing the corporal was too drunk to notice. "I was simply talking to the boy. I heard him playing his violin and I wanted to know where the sound was coming from." Steinway laughed. "Ohhh, what a relief!" he continued to laugh, "For a second there, I thought you were actually interacting with him." Ludwig quickly walked away from Feliciano, "No. I would never do that." Feliciano's heart sunk. Was he just saying that because Steinway was there? He sure hoped so. "Come on," Steinway patted Ludwig on the shoulder, "You need a beer." His cold eyes stared at Feliciano once more. "You, practice." Feliciano nodded and quickly gathered his instrument and began to practice. The fear in Feliciano's voice made Ludwig glare at Steinway. "Ja….fine," he growled. Steinway wobbled down the hallway and tripped over his own feet. Laughter erupted from the other soldiers. Ludwig looked back into the room with Feliciano and gave him a smile. Feli smiled back.

* * *

><p>About an hour later, Feli was crawling into his disgusting bunk bed. "Hey! Psst! Hey!" Feli looked around the small room until he saw Poldek waving at him from the bed across from him. He smiled, "Oh, hello Poldek!" He inched his way to the edge of the bed to face his friend. "How did it go?' the older man asked.<p>

"Oh, it went well. The piece was hard at first but I think I'm getting it."

"That's good," the Jew smiled. Feliciano knitted his brows together in thought. Poldek frowned. "What's bothering you, Feli?"

"Hm? Ah, just thinking."

"Let me guess; it's about that blue-eyed soldier. You saw him, didn't you?"

Feli hung his head in defeat. He nodded sheepishly. Poldek sighed, "I told you to stop thinking about him."

"I know, I know! But we actually talked and well, he doesn't seem that bad." Poldek was confused. "Talked?"

"Yes. He saw me standing by the door watching the performance and followed me. He heard me playing violin and told me that it was beautiful. We exchanged names and shook hands, too! His name is Ludwig." Feliciano's eyes stared at nothing as if in a world of their own, "He seems very nice." He thought about Ludwig's beautiful eyes and hair. He so wished that he could lift up Ludwig's hat and touch his hair. It seemed so silky!

"Feliciano, are you crazy?" Poldek shattered Feli's trance. "You can't befriend a Nazi! Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"Ugh, I know," he whined, "But I still want to know more about him. What other Nazi do you know of would take the time to talk to a prisoner because they played the violin well?"

Poldek sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm just telling you to be careful. I don't want you to get hurt." Poldek chuckled, "Here I am talking as if you two were in a relationship." Feliciano's cheeks pinked. "Ah, ha ha…yeah…" Before Poldek could ask his friend why his laugh was just so strained and awkward, Feli turned away from him. "I'm gonna go to sleep now. Goodnight." Poldek stared at his friend suspiciously for a moment before lying down, "Alright, goodnight." Feli sighed in relief when his friend bid him goodnight. That was a close one. He closed his eyes with a fluttery feeling in his chest. It had been a good day; he played his violin and found out the name of the blue-eyed soldier. And that soldier's name was Ludwig.

* * *

><p><strong>Feli and Luddy had a conversation for the first time :O! My friend once again asked me if this was going to be a smut. I don't think so because how the hell would that work in a concentration camp? Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**I want to again thank you for the support/reviews/favorite story/author alerts I'm getting. I'm so happy that people are so interested in this story! Here's a random story: my mom took me shoe-shopping for my 8th grade dance that's in May and I instead got boots for my Italy cosplay. Hehe. Enjoy~!**

"What do you mean the kid is 'off'?"

"I don't know…he's just different."

Gilbert, Ludwig's older brother, took another sip of his beer. Like every Sunday night, they were sitting on their balcony (Gilbert lived with his brother because he was "too awesome to get a job") drinking beer and just talking. During this annual event, Ludwig decided to tell his brother about Feliciano. He told him how curious it was that an Italian was in the camp to begin with and that he was a great violinist. "Well, is he nice?" Gilbert asked, swishing his beer around in the bottle. "Very nice," Ludwig stared out into the blackness of the night sky. "He's always so optimistic and smiling. Yes, smiling! Can you believe it?"

"It's not uncommon for someone to smile Luddy," Gilbert smirked at the wince his brother gave at the nickname, "You're the only person I know who never smiles. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from the kid." Ludwig rolled his eyes and chugged down the last quarter of his beer in a matter of seconds. Scarlet eyes looked into blue. It was true that Ludwig loved his beer, but he never drank this much this fast. This was his fourth bottle in forty-five minutes. "I think," Gilbert stopped his brother from getting another bottle, "That you've had enough for tonight." Ludwig stared at his brother with glassy eyes and red cheeks. "I'm a grown man; I can d-drink however m-much I want," he slurred. He reached for another beer which was once again snatched away from his brother. "You're drunk," Gilbert closed the cooler filled with beers. "I'm not…d….drunk," Ludwig's eyes began to close. Since the two brothers had shared their first beer when they were teenagers, Gilbert knew the tell-tale signs that Ludwig was drunk: his eyes grew glassy, his cheeks grew red, and he would grow extremely sleepy. Gilbert also knew that his brother only got drunk this fast when something was truly bothering him. Gilbert put an arm around his brother and twirled him around, leading him through the glass, sliding doors and into his bedroom. Ludwig swayed and stumbled to his bed, collapsing onto the pillows.

"Why is this kid bothering you so much, West?" Gilbert tucked his brother in (for this was the only time he felt like a useful big brother.)

"I don't know," Ludwig mumbled, "Just something about him that I can't put my finger on. Maybe the way he finds a reason to smile in a concentration camp. I don't know…" Ludwig's last words were almost a whisper as he began to fall asleep. Gilbert smirked and whispered near his brother's ear, "I think you like the kid, West." His reply was a sleepy mumble. He lightly patted his brother's back and quietly walked out the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

><p>Poldek sighed in relief as he heard the sound of a whistle signaling work was over. He wiped the sweat from his brow and headed back to his cabin. When he entered his lodgings, he was greeted by the sight of Feliciano seated on his bunk bed, right across from his own. Feli's eyes landed on Poldek's.<p>

"Oh, ciao, Poldek," he smiled.

"Hello, Feli," Poldek smiled in return. The two laid down and stared at the brown of the bunk beds above them. "How was your day?" Feli asked. Poldek shrugged. "Good as it can be, I suppose. Yours? How's your song going?"

"Pretty good!" Feli chirped, "It's going very well. I should perfect it in about two days."

"That's great! Your performance is Wednesday, isn't it?" Feli nodded. "That's in three days!"

Feli sighed. "I know, I know. I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be. You'll do fine." Feliciano thanked him for the encouragement and turned his head towards the window. The evening sun gave the entire sky a deep, orangey glow. "Even the beauty of nature reaches here," Feli whispered to himself. He felt a small pain in his heart and closed his eyes. The sky reminded him of home. He missed his brother and his grandfather. But there was a positive side to this imprisonment. He got to talk to Ludwig. They had been talking in secrecy for three days since their first conversation on Thursday night. When Feli asked why the soldier had to sneak around and couldn't be seen talking with him, Ludwig shook his head and said, "You said so yourself; it isn't proper fro a master and their prisoner to communicate like this." Feli decided not to discuss the matter and further, at least for that night. With it being Sunday, Ludwig would come back to work the next morning. That means they could talk again! Feliciano smiled to himself and let the dream world take over.

* * *

><p>Just as he did every morning, Ludwig woke to the sound of his alarm. He switched it off and stretched, wondering how he got into bed the night before. He quickly got out of bed and then fell back down on the soft, blue blankets. He put a hand over his throbbing head. Oh yeah. He was drunk. He remembered Gilbert taking him to his room and talking with him. His cheeks reddened. He also remembered what Gilbert had said right before he fell asleep. <em>"I think you like the kid, West." <em>Ludwig shook his head (not a good idea with a terrible hangover) and tried to get the thoughts out of his mind. Him, liking Feliciano? Preposterous. That would be against everything his country stood for. He decided to think of the matter no more and just get dressed. No matter how often he tried to preoccupy his mind with something else, his brain always strayed back to his brother's words. _Brother is just an idiot, _Ludwig reassured himself.

When Ludwig arrived at the camp, he was greeted by Steinway. They both raised their arms and shouted in unison: "Heil Hitler!" They lowered their arms. "Guten morgen, Sergeant Beilschmidt," Steinway smiled, showing off his rat-like teeth. "Guten morgen, Corporal Steinway."

"Another day, another dollar," Steinway put his hands in his coat pockets. "Ja," Ludwig responded absentmindedly. As much as he hated to admit it, his main reason for coming to work now wasn't for loyalty, but for talking to the Italian. Something about talking to Feliciano just made his day. He never talked to someone as casually as he did with Feliciano besides co-workers. He didn't know what this relationship was, but it was nice. "I'm going to survey over there," Ludwig pointed towards the work yard a few feet away from the Orchestra Building. "Alright; I'll stay over here," Steinway responded. Ludwig nodded and began walking to the north of the camp. As he was walking along, he heard a loud groan come from behind him. He turned around to see a man, bone-thin, writhing in pain from what most likely was hunger. Ludwig turned back around and kept walking. For some reason, his chest had a weird feeling. _Probably from the alcohol_, he thought to himself, never halting his steps. The man he left behind gasped his last breath and suffered no more.

Ludwig arrived at the building. The door was being guarded by two S.S. officers. Because they were a lower rank than he, they simply saluted him and let him through. No questions asked. Ludwig stepped into the large, familiar building. The auditorium had a strange empty feeling without the orchestra there. The feeling was almost eerie. He walked south of the room to the large, wooden doors he went through so many times. He again made the trip down the long carpeted hallway and to Feli's practicing room. He stopped at Feli's door and just listened to the beautiful melody of the violin. He was getting much better. Ludwig straightened his uniform nervously and lightly knocked on the door. The music stopped immediately and footsteps could be heard coming closer to the door. Feliciano, stiff and frightened, instantly relaxed when he opened the door and saw his favorite soldier. "Ludwig!" he exclaimed. "Shhh!" said soldier hissed. "Oh, right," Feli whispered, "Come in~." Ludwig stood there for a moment and looked around nervously to see if anyone had heard Feliciano's outburst. No one was in the room. Good. He stepped into the room and sighed in relief. "I told you to be quieter, Feliciano," Ludwig scolded.

"I know, I'm sorry," Feli sat down on his usual stool. Ludwig knew perfectly well that the Italian wasn't sorry and didn't even care. He didn't say anything though and took a seat on the stool across from Feli. "I heard you playing," Ludwig mumbled shyly, "It sounded so beautiful." Feli's everlasting smile widened. "Aw, grazie." He put his violin on his lap and began to ramble about utter nonsense like he did for the past few days. By day two, Ludwig got used to it. Ludwig watched Feliciano make excited hand gestures and his eyes get brighter as he told his story, whatever it was. He watched the way Feli's lips frantically moved with each word. Surprisingly soft, healthy-looking pink lips. _Damn it, stop thinking such monstrosities!_ "Ludwig," Feliciano's voice sounded uncharacteristically serious. The German snapped out of his daze and looked at the Italian in the eyes.

"You seem a bit distracted, veh?"

That was another thing that Ludwig got used to: Feliciano's very random and unexplained "veh's".

"Oh, ja…sorry. I just have a bit of a hangover." Feliciano did something knew; he gave a devilish smirk. "I can't picture you getting drunk," he giggled. Ludwig rolled his eyes and ignored the boy's laughter at his misfortune. "Ja, I've always loved beer. It's definitely my weakness."

"I prefer wine," Feli recovered from his giggles, "But pasta is my weakness. I could eat it allll day. Heck, my whole life!"

Ludwig stared at him blankly. "Pasta? Nothing but pasta?" Feli nodded enthusiastically. "How could you eat nothing but pasta?"

"Veh? I'm Italian; it's in my blood!" he waved his hands in the air. Ludwig shook his head. "Hmm," Feliciano hummed, "I would love to have a big, bowl of pasta just one more time…" Ludwig once again got the strange feeling in his heart like the one he had from looking at the starving man. Not knowing what to say, he decided to change the subject. "My favorite food is wurst," he started awkwardly, "It's my brother's, too."

"Oh, you have a brother?" Feliciano's sadness was suddenly forgotten and Ludwig was grateful. "Ja, he's my older brother of four years, although I often act more responsible. His name is Gilbert."

"Neat! I have an older brother, too! Well, we're actually twins but he came out first so technically he's older. His name is Lovino."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "Lovino Vargas? I don't remember seeing that name…Why isn't he here as well? Um, if you don't mind me asking."

Feliciano smiled sadly. "Ah, he was one of the lucky ones. He got out of Germany while he could. He hated Germany and as soon as he turned eighteen, moved back to Italy." "He hated Germany?" Ludwig's voice was a little annoyed.

"Si, I don't know why. He never gave an actual reason. Nonno loved it, though."

"You lived with your grandfather?"

"Si. Mama and Papa died when my fratello and I were six." Ludwig frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Feliciano waved his hand, "It's alright. We were really too young to remember them, anyway."

"So, how did you come to live in Germany?" For some reason, Ludwig was now very interested in Feliciano's history.

"Well, after Mama and Papa died, we were left in the custody of our grandfather. Not that we minded, of course. Life was very happy with him. It was filled with songs and laughter. But after a few years, Mussolini gained power and Nonno didn't like what he was doing. He contacted an old friend who lived in Germany to see if he could get him a place to live.

"One day, Nonno told us that we had to pack up our things and say goodbye to our friends. Lovino was outraged. I wasn't angry; just very sad. After a month, we moved to Germany and started a new life. I didn't know an ounce of German, so I couldn't make friends for a very long time. Eventually, I learned the language and got the attention of all the girls at my old school. (Feli giggled and Ludwig felt strange discomfort,) Lovino absolutely refused to learn German, though. Again, I'm not really sure why.

"When we turned eighteen, two years ago, Lovino immediately packed his things and hopped on a train to Italy. Nonno and I begged him not to go, but it was useless." Feliciano's voice died out and he stared at nothing. Ludwig couldn't believe that the happy-go-lucky Italian had such a broken family. He felt sympathetic and wanted to comfort him, but didn't know how. After a moment, Feliciano spoke, "I'm sorry to go on about myself."

"No, I don't mind. It was interesting. I'm…sorry to hear about your family and all." Feliciano gave a small smile, "Thank you, Ludwig." His honey-eyes sparkled with tears. Ludwig had seen Feliciano cry before, but these tears were different. They were not out of cowardliness or exasperated emotion, but of pure grief. It made Ludwig's heart sink. Feliciano smiled again and looked back at his friend. "Can I hear about your life?"

Ludwig blinked. "It's really not that interesting…"

"I don't care! I just wanna hear. Come on, I told you all about my childhood. Tell me about yours!" Feliciano begged and begged. Ludwig sighed and rubbed his temples. Just when his hangover was beginning to fade, another headache just had to come. "Alright, alright. I was raised by my parents and brother. We lived in a fairly large house with a lot of money. My childhood was very average. I got good grades in school, excelled in sports and didn't go out much. I joined the army four years ago when I was sixteen.

"My life was normal…until two years ago." Ludwig stopped and debated whether or not he should tell Feliciano more. He looked at Feli, who was eagerly waiting for the rest. He sighed and gave into the puppy-dog look that Feli was giving him. "When Hitler came into power, my parents outright said that they hated him; that he was nothing but trouble. Of course, anyone who doesn't support der Fuhrer is imprisoned. I don't know their exact fate, but all I can tell you is that they're gone." He finished and looked at Feli, who was crying. "Wait, why are you crying?"

"B-because that's so sad!" he wailed, throwing his arms around the German's neck. Ludwig stiffened and pried the sobbing boy off him, ignoring the warm, fluttery feeling in his chest. "One: don't touch me. Two: it isn't that sad. Things like that happen."

"But to never see your parents again!" Feli continued crying.

"But you went through the same thing!"

"Yes, but we didn't really know them to begin with so it wasn't that hard! You…you knew them for so long!"

Ludwig frowned. Damn, that really is sad. A sudden wave of sadness washed over him. Feliciano did not miss the look of hidden anguish in his forever-stern eyes. "It's okay," he said in a quiet voice, "I got over it. Now, please calm down." Feli sniffed and wiped his eyes with the filthy sleeves of his uniform. "Isn't is strange," he spoke after a moment of silence, "That both our lives changed two years ago? You know, my brother going away and your parents going away?"

Ludwig nodded, "Strange coincidence, I suppose."

"It's also strange that we, a soldier and prisoner, have become friends."

The German's blonde brows furrows, "Friends?"

"Yes, we're friends, aren't we?"

Ludwig never had a friend before. The feeling was so uncertain.

Feliciano held out his petite hand. "Friends?"

Ludwig stared at the hand. Did it get a little smaller….?

"Friends," Ludwig took Feliciano's hand in his like the day they introduced themselves. Feliciano gave a warm smile and for once, Ludwig gave one in return. "Hey, you're smiling!" Feliciano sang. "You have a very nice smile. You should smile more often!" _Such a beautiful, beautiful smile. _

Ludwig blushed. "You know, this friendship is dangerous. We could both get into trouble if anyone were to find out."

"Then we'll keep it a secret," Feli whispered, "We'll be secret buddies! Isn't that fun?"

"Secret buddies," Ludwig rolled his eyes at the ridiculous name, but then grinned. "Yes, we'll be secret buddies."

**Big Brother Prussia made his debut! And the whole thing about the past of Feli and Luddy was made up at the last minute. And no, you're still not finding out why Feli is there ;). Please review~!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I got two great ideas for this story from two different people. One was from Heta-Mexico and the other from my friend Joan. Thank you both! I don't know how long this will be. Maybe...11 chapters? I'm not sure...but enjoy!**

It was Wednesday. Another day of hard labor. Poldek urged his muscles to work faster as Corporal Steinway took his usual position in his lawn chair. Poldek snarled. Like every other prisoner, he hated that man. That man was a fucking piece of shit. He just sat around on his fat ass, drank beer, and beat/killed prisoners. Poldek suppressed a smile as he recalled Feliciano's description of him:

_He's really, really, scary, veh! He's tall and has these awful, yellow teeth! The thing I hate most about him are his evil eyes! Oh, and a chubby tummy._

Feli was right about that: he did have evil eyes. And a fat stomach. "Faster!" Steinway called out to the workers. The Jew's lip twitched. How irritating.

Poldek's was surprised to see his eyes landed on a curl. Feliciano was working? Since Corporal Steinway had decided that the Italian would be a part of the camp's orchestra, Feliciano was always practicing in the Orchestra Building. He never worked. Poldek frowned. Did something happen? He moved towards his friend with curiosity and concern. "Feliciano?" he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. The face that greeted him was not Feliciano's.

"What? Don't touch me, bastard!" the boy snapped in a thick Italian accent. Fierce brown eyes stared him down. That was _definitely _not Feliciano. Feli was always sweet and cheery and never lost his temper. Still, he did look like him….

"Oh," Poldek now felt extremely awkward, "I'm sorry. You just look a lot like my friend." Discussion ended, Poldek went back to his work station quickly as possible. That was really weird…that boy looked almost exactly like Feli. The only prominent difference between them (besides their personality) was their hair; Feliciano had auburn hair and the other boy had chestnut hair. But, they looked so much alike! They even had the same exact curl (except Feli's was on the right side and the other was on the left.) Poldek worked in confusion all day. The two boys looked like twins. _Maybe all Italians look the same…_

* * *

><p>"Veh? Looks just like me?"<p>

"Almost exact."

Poldek told Feliciano about the boy that looked almost identical to him.

"Hm, very strange..." Feli said through bites of bread. Speaking of which, Feliciano was extremely worried. It looks like Poldek was getting thinner each day, and he probably was. Poldek was actually fifty three years-old. He told the officers that he was forty so they wouldn't immediately kill him. He was on older man with little strength to spare.

"Well, who knows," Poldek spoke after a few minutes, "They say everyone has a doppelganger."

Feliciano opened his mouth to say something when he heard, "Feliciano?"

The Italian turned his head. His jaw dropped. His eyes watered.

"Oh yeah, that's the guy," Poldek said disinterestedly.

Feliciano was in stunned silence. "Lovino…"

Chestnut eyes teeming with tears stared into Feliciano's. The two stared at each other while silently crying. Poldek was just sitting there, completely lost.

"Fratello!" Lovino said and threw his arms around Feliciano. Feliciano hugged back and they cried into each other's shoulders.

"So they're brothers. Makes sense," Poldek said to himself.

The Italian brothers broke the embrace and smiled. "Lovino," Feli's voice shook, "How did you get here?"

"The damn Nazi bastards brought me here, that's how." Lovino's facial expression grew grumpy and miserable. "They bastards found out that I hate Germany so they caught me." Lovino looked at Poldek. "Ah, you're that bastard that touched me earlier."

"Yeah…I'm Poldek," the Jew said awkwardly. Lovino paid no attention to him and turned back to his brother. "But why are you here?"

Feliciano felt extremely uncomfortable. "Well…because I'm...you know." Lovino's eyes widened and he nodded in understanding. Once again, Poldek was lost. But he decided that he shouldn't get in other people's business.

"I'll leave you two to catch up," Poldek walked away.

Feliciano told his brother how they put him in the camp's orchestra and was to play for the first time today. He told Lovino to stay away from Corporal Steinway and to never look him in the eye. He also mentioned Ludwig.

"A German bastard?" the older brother exclaimed, "He's not your friend!"

Feli frowned. "But he sure seems like it."

"Feliciano, I'm telling you this for your own good; Germans cannot be trusted."

* * *

><p>That evening, Feliciano was panicking. This was the big day! If he didn't play well, Steinway would kill him! The rest of the orchestra was in the middle of their song while the soldiers sat below them, forever judging. Feli was standing near the wooden doors that led to the hallway, fiddling with his bow. God, he was nervous! He inhaled and let out a shaky breath. His eyes glazed around the audience, looking for Ludwig. After a moment of searching through the darkness, he found his German friend. He didn't know whether he found his presence to be reassuring, or terrifying. If he were to mess up, Ludwig would see! The orchestra's notes suddenly ended. No, they couldn't be finished already! He heard the Nazis' applaud and saw the musicians bow. No! Why did he have to do this? He would rather be doing hard labor with Poldek. Well, maybe not that. The applaud died down and all eyes were on him.<p>

"Well?" a soldier spat, "Aren't you going to play?"

Feliciano nodded and scurried to the stage. He rushed passed his fellow musicians, hearing them whisper a quick "Good luck!" He hopped onto the stage and sat down on a small stool placed in the center. He positioned his violin and bow. He looked at Ludwig, who surprisingly smiled and winked. Feliciano's face brightened and began to play. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. He felt like his chest was about to pop. His fingers were sweating and he began to feel lightheaded. _Come on, Feli! Don't mess this up! _The notes produced from the strings were absolutely elegant. He began to calm down. His heart slowed down and his sweating decreased. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and closed his eyes, letting everything around him dissolve. He was now alone in a room, just he and his violin. No, he wasn't alone. Ludwig was there. His friend's presence now made it that much better.

Ludwig watched his friend with wonder. How was he able to close his eyes and not miss a single note? It was incredible. _He_ was incredible. The lights shining down on Feliciano highlighted his sun-kissed skin and made his hair glimmer. It was like he had a halo surrounding his head. One word: heavenly. Ludwig almost slapped himself. Why the hell was he thinking that way? Feliciano was a filthy, _male_ prisoner! Ludwig pinched the back of his neck to try to snap himself out of his "impure thoughts." He sighed and closed his eyes, just listening to the sweet music. His brother's words from a few days ago rang through his head.

When Feliciano finished, he opened his eyes and set his instrument down on his lap. He gulped nervously. This was it, practically Judgment Day! He looked down at his feet and waited for him to be condemned. His head shot up when he heard applaud. His brown eyes widened and a large grin graced his features. Ludwig was smiling proudly. Feliciano bowed and walked off the stage. The members of the orchestra were clapping, too. Feli stopped dead in his tracks when Steinway was walking towards him. He had that disgusting smile on his face. From a distance, Ludwig watched Feliciano wince. Was he really that afraid of the man?

"Good work," the corporal patted his shoulder. Steinway's smile widened when he felt the prisoner's muscles tense upon his touch. Steinway knew the exact effects he had on the boy, and he loved it.

"You're safe, for now. But, if you are caught doing anything against the rules or mess up in a future performance, you will be punished. You got that?"

Feliciano nodded vigorously.

"Sehr gut," Steinway whispered and walked away. Feli stayed rooted to the ground, still petrified. He was scared, but also very angry! So he's not even safe, he could be killed at any given time? How annoying. The soldiers began to leave. He sighed and turned towards the doors to the hallway. When he was about to open the doors, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He gasped and spun around. He was relieved to see blue eyes stare into his.

"Calm down, it's just me." Ludwig spoke softly.

Feliciano's constant smile returned. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were Steinway."

"Ja, about that," Ludwig's voice was more serious than usual (if that was possible.) Feliciano looked at him curiously.

"It's just that you seem so scared of him. Why? He's no different than any other soldier."

Feliciano stared at him blankly. Seriously?

"No, he's a monster." Ludwig was surprised to hear Feliciano's voice speak with such utter hatred. "He's especially cruel."

"Especially cruel?" Ludwig raised an eyebrow, "You think all Nazis are cruel?"

"Of course I do!" Feli spoke with annoyance. "They take people away from their homes and kill them! You don't call that cruel?"

"Oh ja? Then why am I your friend if all Nazis are cruel?" Ludwig was now extremely agitated.

"Because you're different!"

"Oh ja? You think I'm some kind of saint?"

"Is there a problem here, Ludwig?"

The sergeant and prisoner froze. Uh oh….

"Oh, nein, Corporal," Ludwig controlled his voice. "This prisoner and I just had a slight…disagreement."

Steinway's eyes grew colder as they landed on Feliciano, who flinched as usual. A smirk distorted his ugly features.

"Oh? How interesting. Does he need to be disciplined?"

"No!" Feli squeaked without thinking. Steinway's smirk was gone in an instant.

"I wasn't going to really do it, but since you've spoken out of turn," Steinway stepped closer, "I will now have to. Don't worry, Ludwig; I'll have this brat taken care of in no time."

Ludwig's blood ran cold. No, he couldn't let this happen to Feliciano! What should he do? But why did he care? The Italian had spoken against the Nazis and should be punished. Ludwig crossed his arms over his chest and stepped aside, "He's all yours."

Feliciano's amber eyes widened in horror. How could Ludwig betray him like that? Before he could collect his thoughts, Steinway slapped him straight across the face. Hard. Feliciano's cheek stung and he collapsed onto the unforgiving surface of the floor. The blows continued, each one harder than the last. Ludwig smiled maliciously. Yes, this was for the greater good. The foolish boy deserved it. By the sixth blow, Feliciano cried out in pain. He felt like he was going to die. He didn't know what was worse; the ache on his body or the ache in his heart. Lovino was right! He cried harder as another blow came at him like a bullet.

Ludwig's smile faltered. He watched the boy's tears stream down his face. The cries grew louder. They were making Ludwig's head pound. He held his ears and screwed his eyes shut. He felt like he was going insane. The cries grew louder and louder. It felt like the blood was going to explode from his veins. He was going mad! He opened them again and saw blood come from Feliciano's lip. Feliciano was slipping into unconsciousness when…

"Enough!" he yelled.

Steinway looked at him in pure astonishment. Ludwig was shaking in anger. Feliciano continued to cry on the floor. Feli's head felt like someone hit it with a hammer and his thoughts were hazy. Did Ludwig just stop him?

"Why should I stop?" Steinway kicked Feliciano in the stomach, earning him another cry of anguish.

"Because," Ludwig thought aloud. Damn, he needed to make an excuse! "Because you'll wind up killing him! You can't kill a great violinist such as himself, can you?"

"But I-"

"As your superior," Ludwig's voice grew extremely deep, "I command you to leave him alone. Go outside. I'll take care of him." Ludwig now felt a deep hatred for the man before him, one that he had never felt before. He wanted to tear that man's throat out.

Steinway snarled, looked at Feliciano one last time, and quickly stomped out the door. Ludwig quickly kneeled down beside his friend and moved to help him. Feliciano felt two strong arms wrap around him; one under his knees and one on his back. He felt himself being lifted from the ground. Amber eyes filled with tears looked into oceanic ones filled with regret.

Feliciano's quiet voice croaked, "Why? I thought we were friends."

Ludwig felt like he was about to cry. God, what had he done? "I don't know," he answered quietly. He felt like his heart was just stabbed. He looked down at the normally happy Italian. His lip was still bleeding, his face dirty with new bruises. How could he be so disgusting?

"I'm so, so sorry…" he whispered. He repeated his apologies over and over. Feliciano didn't know how to feel. Ludwig let him be beaten. But, he changed his mind a drove Steinway away. He also seemed extremely sorry. You're supposed to forgive people when they're sorry, right?

"I forgive you."

Ludwig looked at him in shock. "You're going to forgive me when I yelled at you? Let you be beaten?"

Feliciano nodded weakly. Ludwig did something very out of character. He hugged the Italian. Feli was surprised, but wrapped his arms limply around the German's neck.

"I'll never let them hurt you again," Ludwig whispered into Feliciano's ear. It was a whisper that made Feliciano shiver. "You don't deserve this," Ludwig went on.

"None of them do," Feli responded. Ludwig could only nod. Was Feliciano really right? Were the Nazis really that cruel? Was _he _really that cruel? He carried Feli to the bathroom and cleaned his wounds. While wiping his face, Ludwig couldn't help but notice how unbelievably soft Feli's cheeks were. His face pinked and he continued his work. Feli watched with slight amusement. He loved the German's awkwardness. But then again, how could he forgive so easily? Is it right to forgive someone so fast after betrayal? Will the man do it again? He watched Ludwig carefully clean the blood from his face.

Ludwig stopped. "He kicked you in to stomach, correct?" The words felt sour on his lips.

Feliciano nodded. "Well, let me see if he did anything. Lift up your shirt…please," he added awkwardly. Feliciano obliged, wincing at the sorness he felt in his limbs. Ludwig had to bite his lip to prevent a gasp from escaping his throat. He could see every rib. His large, calloused hand reached out to stroke them, almost not believing they were real. He felt a lump form in his throat. He lost so much weight in such a short amount of time.

Feliciano's eyebrows knitted in confusion, but he didn't say anything. He was enjoying Ludwig's touch far too much. His hand were warm. Ludwig quickly regained his composure and pulled Feli's shirt back down.

"It just looks like a bruise. You should be fine." Ludwig averted his eyes and put the cloth he was usuing away.

"Okay. Thank you, Ludwig," Feliciano looked down at his feet.

"Don't mention it."

The two stood there and stared at each other, not sure what to do or say. The image of Feliciano's ribcage was haunting Ludwig. So, so deathly thin…

"I'll go back to my cabin now," Feli spoke and turned to leave. He really wanted to curl up on his disgusting bunk bed and sleep.

"Wait!" Ludwig called after him. Feliciano turned back around at the sound of the soldier's voice.

"Uhh," Ludwig stuttered dumbly, "It's just that…you're so thin and…"

Feliciano smiled sadly. "I'm healthy compared to others You should see Poldek."

"Who's Poldek?"

"He's my friend. Oh! My brother's here! Isn't that great? Well, it's not great but you know what I mean."

"Lovino?"

Feliciano nodded. "Yes, for disagreeing with the Nazis."

"Hm. Then I'll try to keep him from harm."

Feliciano's eyes lit up. "You'd do that?"

"Well, I can't make any promises," he rubbed the back of his neck, "But I can try. The same with you."

Feliciano squealed in happiness and hugged the German. Ludwig blushed deeply and awkwardly patted his back. Ludwig's heart was fluttering. Why the hell does this keep happening every single time the Italian touches him?

"You're really going to keep me safe from now on?" Feli's eyes stared into Ludwig's.

"J-ja." Ludwig looked away, cursing that damn blush he felt forming on his face. "Um…I'm going to try to help you out," Ludwig gently removed Feliciano's arms. Feli tilted his head to the side in confusion. _Adorable. _Wait, no! Not adorable!

"Umm! Oh yeah!" Ludwig said louder than necessary, making Feli jump in surprise. "I'm, uh…going to get you food."

"How? You'll be caught."

"I'll find a way. Don't worry. I won't let you die."

Feliciano was now genuinely curious. "How am I different from any other prisoner? Why let me live and not the others?"

Ludwig sighed. "It's not like I can save everyone... I will tell you this: You will not die. Not while I'm around."

**I definitely upset people with this chapter :3. Well, I never said this was going to be a happy story. Please review~!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have returned! Story time! In school we're going to write persuasive essays and my teacher said if anyone does same-sex marriage that she'll fight it and use the Bible (Catholic school, you see). I raised my hand and said, "Challenge accepted."**

**Enjoy~!**

Feliciano decided to keep his little "misunderstanding" with Ludwig to himself. When his brother and Poldek asked about the bruises on his face, he told them that Steinway happened. They understood. But he would not tell them about Ludwig, no; he would keep that a secret. After all, the German apologized and cleaned his wounds. It's in the past and should be forgotten. Also, if Lovino were to find out, he would seek out the German himself and try to kill him. Not that he would be successful. It was funny how the prisoners feared Steinway more than Ludwig when Ludwig was at a higher position. It was probably because they never saw Ludwig kill anyone. If he did, it was on orders. Not of free will.

Later on Wednesday night, Steinway paid a visit to Feliciano once more. Feli was attempting to sleep in his crowded bunk bed, trying to ignore the pain in his face and stomach, when he felt a hand flip him over. He gasped in surprised but was immediately silenced by the cold glare of Steinway. "I warned you," he said through clenched teeth. "I warned you that just because you did well that you were not off the hook. You are no longer a musician. You are a worker just like every other prisoner. Next time, learn how to keep your mouth shut."

The corporal left as quickly as he came. Feliciano was just laying there trying to grasp what just happened. He practiced his ass off for days and days just to get demoted? This was fucking bullshit! It was a monstrosity! He felt like screaming in frustration. He instead bit his hand as hard as he could to satisfy his anger. He bit until he tasted blood. He released his hand from his jaws and buried his face in his arms. Melancholy swept over him. He would now have to work hard labor. He would be at more risk to get shot. He was already thin; if he got any smaller they would surely kill him. He heard a funny phrase the other day: "get gassed." He didn't know what it meant, but anything associated with the Nazis meant nothing but trouble. He also wondered about the constant smoke and "snowflakes" falling from the chimneys. But again, he didn't really want to know. Poldek just told him to hope he never went there.

* * *

><p>The next morning was the beginning of his life as a normal prisoner. A worker. A "sub-human" worker at that. As Feliciano had learned almost a week prior, he was not cut out for work. That's when he thought: a week? That was it? It felt like five years ago. Time seemed to defy him lately. Anyway, he began working alongside with Poldek and Lovino. The December day was bitterly cold. The wind bit through his uniform and nipped his skin. He shivered and rubbed his hands together. He looked up at the sky to see any glimmer of sunshine. Grey clouds were the only things present. He sighed and continued to work, his limbs screaming for rest.<p>

"Hang in there," his brother's voice whispered to him in Italian. That was one thing Feli hadn't realized he missed so much: speaking Italian. He also missed learning English. To him, it seemed as if English was simply a prettier, easier version of German. He liked it a lot. While it was true that he liked speaking German, he couldn't always pronounce the guttural "ch" sound quite right. It was just one of those things you could only do well if you were a native speaker. Also, the differences between masculine, feminine, and neuter words deluded him. But no matter how well he could pronounce or figure out the grammar, he had to speak German. It was just another one of the beautiful things about his culture that the Nazis stripped from him. Feliciano looked around to see if Steinway was there. He was relieved to find some random soldier standing guard instead, but was crushed when he saw Steinway coming in the distance. But he was not alone.

Suddenly, the prisoners started to bustle around and S.S. officers were setting up makeshift tables, like the ones he saw when he first stepped off the train.

"All of you strip down!" Steinway yelled.

Feliciano turned to see Poldek taking his uniform off. Lovino had the same look of confusion that his brother had, but obeyed and took off his uniform. Everyone was unbuttoning their uniforms as if they were on fire and running to the tables. Seated at those tables were officers in white coats and stethoscopes. _Doctors?_

Feliciano quickly followed the other prisoners' actions and stripped of his filthy uniform. He groaned as a gust of wind blew past him. Goosebumps formed on Feliciano's skin. Things were happening so fast! One minute he was a musician, then a worker, and now naked. Everyone was now running around the work yard. He had no idea what was going on, but ran with them. Cold, naked, and humiliated.

* * *

><p>Ludwig rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. Last night was terrible. He got himself drunk-again- and had a terrible nightmare.<p>

_He was running. Smoke clouded his eyes. All he could see was black. The carbon dioxide was strangling his lungs. He coughed and choked but kept running. He had to find him. He crushed the bodies beneath his feet and continued to run blindly. He finally reached his destination: the crematorium. The smoke cleared so he could see the ashes which were once living, breathing humans. He was panting, dumbfounded at the amount of ash on the ground. His eyes landed on a violin…_

He bolted upright in his bed. A cold sweat covered his entire body. He shivered and looked around his room. He was home…it was all just a dream. But then again, didn't he witness the events of his nightmare each day? He lowered himself back down on his mattress and pulled his blankets up to his neck. He let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes. Thoughts of Feliciano invaded his mind. Sleep never came.

Ludwig blinked rapidly and yawned again. He was so damn tired. He was walking with his right hand holding a coffee and his left hand in his pocket. Caffeine always seems to do the trick. Gilbert got him addicted to the stuff and he was actually glad, for once. He heard whistles blowing and shouts penetrate the air. He raised an eyebrow and turned to the source of the sound. He saw about fifty prisoners running around naked. He frowned. It was so cold out today. The poor souls must have been freezing. If they weren't selected they would surely die of hypothermia. He watched the prisoners pathetically run and be examined by the doctors of the camp. They looked like the living dead. He looked at the sign above him. Block 14. Wait a minute! Wasn't that Feliciano's block? He shook his head. No, Feliciano was a musician. He wouldn't be selected with the other workers. He was instantly proved wrong as he saw an auburn curl zoom by him. Feliciano! He looked after the boy. He was skin and bones. He would surely be selected! This was not good; Ludwig needed to think of something. Fast.

* * *

><p>Feliciano was in pure agony. His limbs were aching, his skin was like ice, and he had to parade around with his "thing" hanging out! He felt tears prickle the corner of his eyes. No, he couldn't stop to cry. He had to keep running. He had to prove that he was healthy. Soon, he lost all feeling in his body. He couldn't even feel the sensation of his feet hitting the dirt. He closed his eyes and kept running, letting his ears guide him. His head felt like it was about to roll off its body. He felt like he was going to pass out. He opened his eyes when he bumped into a man. He was in a line in front of the doctors. He folded his hands.<p>

_Hail, Mary full of grace_

The line inched forward. The bitter cold was becoming unbearable.

_The Lord is with you_

_Blessed are you among women_

He was now the third person in line. The first man in line was placed into the group to the left. He couldn't be sure, but they looked like the unhealthy group. Then again, who truly looked healthy in this place?

_And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus_

_Holy Mary, Mother of God_

He was now next in line. The man before him was placed into the "healthy" line. Lucky man. He was now standing face to face with a S.S. officer in a white trench coat. That fucking Steinway was right behind the doctor; smirking like the Devil himself. Feliciano wanted to curl up in a little ball and cry.

_Pray for us sinners now…_

The doctor eyed him up and down. The man furrowed his brows and checked him off in a certain column. "You," the man spoke, "In that line over there." The left line. The unhealthy line.

_And at the hour of our death…_

"No!" a voice roared. Everyone looked to the right of the camp. Ludwig was standing near the officers with wide eyes and a spilled coffee near his feet. Steinway walked up to the German.

"Ludwig, what is the meaning of this? Can't you see he is much too thin to work?"

_Whose fault is that,_ Feliciano thought bitterly.

"You're right; he is not fit to work hard labor." Ludwig saw Feliciano give him a what-the-hell-are-you-doing look. Ludwig would have smiled if Steinway and the other Nazis weren't there. Ludwig took a deep breath, as if finalizing his decision.

"I want this prisoner to come work for me."

Everyone collectively looked at him with surprise.

"Work for you?" Steinway laughed, "This little scrawny twerp? What will he do for you?"

Ludwig clenched his fists but kempt his temper. He didn't want to mess this up. "I want prisoner A-675 to come to my house and be my servant."

Almost everyone gasped. Feliciano's eyes became big as golf balls. He remembered Ludwig's promise: _You will not die. Not while I'm around._ He closed his eyes and two salty tears stream down his cheeks. He suppressed a smile and finished his prayer: _Amen._

Steinway looked livid. His face was turning a disgusting shade of red and it looked like steam was about to pour out of his ears.

"Y-you," he stuttered like an idiot, "Want _that_ prisoner in your house? He's repulsively filthy!"

"Aren't they all?" Ludwig responded calmly. "Is there any prisoner better than the rest?"

Steinway looked like he was ready to kill Ludwig. Actually, if other Nazis weren't around, he might have actually done it. Well, attempted, for Ludwig could kick his ass any day of the week. His teeth were clenched. Ludwig smiled at his displeasure, but then grew gravely serious.

"Corporal Steinway, I am your superior." Ludwig's baby blue eyes grew a deep azure, "You shall not question my actions. I want this prisoner as my servant. You got that?"

At that point, Steinway looked like he was about to shit his pants. He saluted and stepped aside. Ludwig pointed a finger at Feliciano. The boy blinked and nodded. Ludwig made an arm motion from him to come over. Covering his private parts (it was even more embarrassing for Ludwig to see for some reason,) he quickly scurried to Ludwig's side. Ludwig had a natural talent for keeping a stoic expression when he wanted to show the greatest emotions. This talent was extremely useful. It helped him to become an incredible liar

"You will now work for me," Ludwig spoke to Feliciano firmly, "You will run to the shed full of uniforms and put one on. I will be waiting there outside for you. You have three minutes. Understood?"

Feliciano nodded and ran to the shed (which was only a few feet away). Meanwhile, Poldek was extremely worried and relieved at the same time. He was relieved for two reasons:

Feliciano was saved from being selected

He recognized that soldier to be the "Ludwig" that Feli was always going on about

And yet, he couldn't help but feel worried. Who knows what will go on in that house? Feliciano could still be in danger. Lovino, on the other hand, was deeply upset. He was upset because that damn German bastard was taking his brother away! He might rape him! A worst of all: he would be left all alone…

* * *

><p>Feliciano put on a "fresh" (for they were never washed) uniform and met Ludwig outside the shed within a minute. Ludwig smiled and whispered, "I told you I wouldn't let you die." Feliciano beamed and started to skip around his friend. Ludwig halted his actions immediately. "Look, I know you're happy but you can't make this look suspicious. No one knows we're 'secret buddies' so you must act like I'm just an ordinary Nazi." Feliciano nodded and became silent. His injuries from yesterday were not fully healed so he limped slightly as he walked beside the German. Soldiers eyed them as they walked through the camp. Ludwig gave them a quick, "He works for me" and continued walking. The pure joy Feliciano felt was indescribable. He was leaving this Hell! It really took willpower to keep from smiling. He was just so giddy!<p>

And yet, he felt sorry. He looked at the remaining prisoners. Those poor, poor people. Their fate was uncertain, and yet already slotted, if that made any sense. He would never forget the horrors he witnessed, but would remain happy. He was alive. He took a deep breath as he walked out the gates of Auschwitz. He followed Ludwig to his car. Ludwig opened the door for him and the Italian cautiously stepped inside. The last time he was in any moving vehicle was the cramped box cart on his way over here. But when sinking into the cushion of the car seat, anxiety washed away. He smiled as Ludwig got into the driver's seat and shut the car door. He started the car and drove away from the camp. Feliciano looked at the smoking chimney one last time.

Feliciano turned his head to look at his friend. His smile was so big that it was starting to hurt his face. "Ludwig," he spoke softly. "How can I ever thank you?" Ludwig glanced at him and then continued to stare at the road. "Ah, it's nothing. I mean, anyone would have done it…"

"No they wouldn't have."

"You're right; they wouldn't."

* * *

><p>They arrived at Ludwig's house less than ten minutes later. Feliciano gaped at the house. It was so big! It reminded him of his home in Italy. He followed Ludwig through the large, wooden doors (much like the ones at the Orchestra Building) and took everything in. The furniture was beautiful and the house was spotless. He was standing in the corridor with stairs on his right side and the entrance to what looked like the dining room to his left. "It's so beautiful!" he chirped.<p>

"Oh, it's nothing special," Ludwig's fair cheeks pinked slightly. "It's actually very hard to keep clean because of my brother."

"Oh, your brother lives here with you?"

Ludwig sighed irritably. "To my misfortune, yes. You'll probably meet him later on tonight."

"Ooo fun!" Feli clapped his hands together. Ludwig rolled his eyes and motioned for the prisoner to follow him. Feliciano followed his friend like a duckling following its mother. Ludwig took him for a grand tour of the house. Each room was more elegant than the next. The whole house had a classical design with beautiful paintings.

"Gilbert says this house is 'stuffy and boring,'" Ludwig said when they reached the last room of the house. "But if it were up to him this house would look atrocious." Feliciano giggled. "I think this house is wonderful. Veh? What's this last room?"

"This," Ludwig opened the door, "Is your room." Feliciano stepped inside. It was a fairly decent-sized room with maroon walls and hardwood floors. There was a large mirror on the wall to the right and a bureau to the left. Next to the bureau was a large window with a perfect view overlooking the city. In the center of the room lay a queen-sized bed.

Feliciano stared in awe. "Ludwig. I really get my own room?"

Ludwig couldn't help but smile at his friend's shocked facial expression. "Of course. You'll be living here, after all."

Feliciano's face grew brighter than sunshine and he brought Ludwig into a clumsy embrace. "Veh! Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you!_"

Ludwig blushed and spoke up. "But remember that you are my servant," he failed to speak in a steady voice. "That means you'll still have to work for me whether we're friends or not."

"Oh, yes sir!" Feliciano saluted with the wrong hand. "I'll happily serve you for the rest of my life! You're my friend and savior!"

Ludwig cleared his throat awkwardly. A strange sound emerged from Feliciano's direction. The Italian blushed and held his stomach. Ludwig widened his eyes. "I'm so stupid! Come on, you need food."

Feliciano bounced to the kitchen and beat Ludwig there. Feliciano was practically panting like a puppy waiting for a treat as he watched Ludwig prepare the food. Ludwig cut a loaf of bread in half and gave him an apple with a tall glass of water. Feli rapidly started to devour the bread. "Hold on a second," Ludwig grabbed his wrists. Feli looked at him in surprise and annoyance. "If you continue to eat that way you will only throw it up."

"Veh, but I'm starving!"

"You'll be hungry again if you vomit!"

Feliciano sighed in defeat and stuck his lower lip out in a pout. Ludwig tried not to notice the cute gesture and ripped off a small piece of bread. "Eat slowly and be sure to drink. You will feel much better when you're done. Okay?"

"Okay," Feliciano huffed.

It took about twenty minutes for Feli to finish his meal, but it was worth it. "Mmm," he rubbed his belly contently, "Grazie~."

"No problem," Ludwig put the used glass in the sink and started to wash it out. He couldn't stand dirty dishes. Feli smirked. Ludwig once mentioned his O.C.D. to clean things. Ludwig finished and turned to see Feliciano yawn and rub his eyes cutely. _Not cutely_, he corrected himself. "Do you want a shower before you go to bed?"

Feliciano blinked. A shower? When was the last time he had one of them? It would feel so nice! "Yeah!" he kicked his feet in excitement.

* * *

><p>Ludwig had given him a wash rag, towel, and spare pair of pajamas for that night. Feli thanked his friend again and stepped into Ludwig's bathroom. When he got into the shower, he was almost nervous. Strange, yes, but true. He turned the faucet prepared for the water. The sensation of warm water on his skin was absolutely marvelous. He closed his eyes in bliss and just let the droplets shower him like rain. He then reached for his wash rag and soap and began to do away with week-old dirt. He scrubbed his scalp and put a little more shampoo than necessary in his auburn hair (avoiding the curl, of course). In fifteen minutes he was finished and clean. He stepped out of the shower and reached for his white, fluffy towel. He grabbed the blue, silk pajamas his friend left him and slipped them on. He giggled as the sleeves flopped down well past his hands and the bottom of the pants pooled at his ankles. He felt so wonderful! Being fed, cleaned, and in fresh clothes were basic things that Feli had thought he would never experience again. He frowned. His brother and Poldek never would.<p>

Wait, his brother and Poldek! He left them! He wiped away stray tears with his oversized sleeves. Ludwig had said that he would try to protect them, too. But Feli knew that there was only so much the soldier could do. He would just pray for their safety. He walked out of the bathroom and looked around the upstairs hallway. Damn, which room was his? He saw a ray of light coming from a door. He walked towards it and peeked inside. Ludwig was standing at his bureau, probably getting his pajamas, in nothing but a towel around his waist. Feliciano blushed deeply but smiled. He took in the beauty of the larger man's well-sculpted physique. He had large muscles, but not too large where they were gross. No, they were just the right size. His chest was immaculate. But the thing that caught Feliciano's attention the most was the German's golden hair hanging over his eyes. He looked so beautiful.

"Mmm, Ludwig?" Feli asked sweetly.

Ludwig nearly jumped out of his skin and attempted to cover his chest. Feliciano laughed. "Why are you covering your chest? It's not like you're a lady!"

The giggles continued and Ludwig lowered his arms. "Ja, I guess you're right," He blushed and looked away. "Do you need anything, Feliciano?"

"Oh, yeah! I don't remember which door leads to my room."

"It's the door second to last on the left side," Ludwig still avoided Feli's eyes.

"Alright. Thank you~!" he skipped out of the room. Ludwig promptly shut his bedroom door and locked it. He rubbed his temples. This would be very interesting.

Feliciano climbed into his bed and pulled the covers up to his shoulders. He felt so comfy! The mattress and blankets hugged him and the quietness of the night was very relaxing. He looked out his window and stared up at the stars. He smiled and let himself fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Feli being Luddy's servant was my friend Joan's idea, and I thank her for it. Now that he's not in the camp anymore, I want everyone to answer this question: Should I make this a smut? If so, the update might come a little later because I've never written one before. Please let me know.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**I HAVE DECIDED! There will be no smut in this story. I'm just going to keep it sweet, okay? If you really want a smut then inbox me and I'll see what I can do. STORY TIME: My teacher was debating with my class about gay marriage (which I of course took part in.)**

***A boy raises his hand* Kid: But like...if that makes them happy then isn't it okay?**

**My asshole teacher: What if you get older and little boys make you happy?**

**YES. SHE ACTUALLY SAID THIS. I WAS FUCKING FUMING.**

**Enjoy~**

Ludwig winced at the creaking sound of the door. He tried to walk through the room quietly as possible. This task was a bit challenging because his heavy combat boots clunked against the floor with each step. He halted his steps when he reached the wall, turning towards the sleeping figure in the bed. He crouched down on his knees and felt a blush coming on. The early morning light was shining through the white curtains on the window, giving the whole room a healthy glow. The sun highlighted Feliciano's auburn hair, almost making the tips blonde. His long lashes were resting on his upper cheeks, his plump lips slightly parted. His hands were folded in front of his chest, his oversized sleeves making him look skinnier than he already was. This angelic sight was making the German's fair cheeks burn. He reached up and gently shook Feliciano's shoulder. Feli's eyebrows twitched and his eyes slowly opened. It took a moment fro Feli's sleepy eyes to focus on Ludwig. When his brain started to wake up, a gentle smile polished his face.

"Mmm, good morning," he whispered.

"Good morning," Ludwig smiled back. "I'm leaving for work now, okay?"

Feli sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Okay. What do you want me to do while you're gone?"

In all honesty, Ludwig really wasn't going to make Feli work for him. So, he told him so.

"Oh nooo," Feli protested, "I must work for you! It is the least I could do!"

Ludwig sighed in defeat. "Alright. Just clean around a little bit," he began to walk out the door with his friend. "Oh!" his voice grew a bit dark, making Feli jump. "You're probably going to see my brother today. If he says anything to offend you, ignore him, tell me, and I will beat him up. Got it?"

"Got it," Feli giggled.

Ludwig nodded and left his home, heading to the long day of work ahead of him. Feliciano watched Ludwig's car pull away and drive down the street. He smiled and skipped back upstairs to his room. He put on his uniform (in a camp or not, technically he was still a prisoner) and grabbed a feather duster from the hallway closet. He furrowed his brows in confusion and frustration. Ludwig told him to clean, but the house was already spotless! What was he supposed to do? Suddenly, he heard to front door open a close. His hand covered his mouth to prevent a yelp from coming out. Feather duster in hand like a weapon, he silently walked to the top of the steps to see who the intruder was. Making dirty footprints on the perfectly waxed floor stood a man with white hair and scarlet eyes.

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><p>Ludwig took his position watching over the prisoners. Damn this job was boring. He watched the workers indifferently. Even if one were to slack off, he wouldn't do anything about it. His attitude towards the prisoners was changing, and he knew it. Last week, he would have looked upon them with disgust. Now, he felt a relentless sensation of pity. So much can happen in such a short amount of time, can't it?<p>

Ludwig spotted Feliciano's brother, Lovino, struggling with his work. The Italian brothers both had no muscle or strength. Besides their personalities, they really were a lot alike. He felt very sorry for Lovino. He took his brother away right in front of his face. His brother would live in a house while he slept in an overcrowded shed. Ludwig frowned as he saw a tear run down the Italian's cheek. The poor kid. But what could he do? He already took away one prisoner; suspicions would be raised if he took in another. That fucking Steinway would be right on his case. In fact, the asshole was staring at him from a distance. Ludwig pretended to be oblivious. Ever since he spared Feli last week, tensions between the two Nazi have been building up. They practically sky-rocketed yesterday. _Let him be pissed,_ Ludwig thought to himself, _he can kiss mein arsch. _From the corner of his eye, he saw the corporal walk away. Good. He looked back to the prisoners. He saw an older-looking man with playful eyes. Ah, Poldek. Even before Feli told him about the Jew, he always had a small admiration for the man. He always smiled, just like Feli. Maybe that's why they became friends. But the twinkle in his eyes seemed to be faltering lately. Was it because he was left behind while his friend was saved? Probably so, but again; Ludwig could not save him.

But then, why save Lovino and Poldek and not everyone else? How are they any better or worse than the others just because of their relationship with Feliciano? The sergeant looked around the camp with that awful feeling in his chest. Was this really justice? The conflicted sergeant rubbed his temples.

* * *

><p>Feliciano watched the white-haired man kick off his shoes, flinging them across the room, and put his jacket on the floor. Well, Feli now had something to clean up. He hesitantly came down the steps. "Um, excuse me, sir?"<p>

The man jumped and turned to the sound if the voice. "Woah, kid! Don't scare me like that! Who they hell are you?"

"I-I'm Feliciano, Lud-Sergeant Beilschmidt's maid." He fiddled with the feathers of his cleaning appliance.

A devilish smirk appeared on the man's face. "Oh, his maid? I get it, I get it. Weird, West didn't tell me he was…" The man then realized the boy was wearing a prisoner uniform. "Ohhh, I see. You were in the camps?"

Feliciano nodded sheepishly, growing extremely uncomfortable. This must have been Ludwig's brother, Gilbert.

"I see, I see. Well, welcome to the Beilschmidt home!" Gilbert cackled in a loud voice. "My name is Gilbert Beilschmidt, the awesome big brother of Ludwig. Nice to meet you," he held out a pale hand, "…you said 'Feliciano' right?"

Feliciano began to feel a little more relaxed and grinned. "Yes, sir," he shook Gilbert's hand. Just like his younger brother, he couldn't help but notice how small the boy's hand was. Feliciano began to clean up the remains of Gilbert's entrance.

"So, Feliciano, that name sounds extremely Italian."

"Si, it is."

"Hmm, an Italian in a camp?" a white eyebrow was raised. "Why?"

Feliciano gulped and looked up at the German. While it was true that he wasn't nearly as muscular as Ludwig, he still had an intimidating quality to him. Feli didn't want to answer. He was afraid.

"Ah, you want to get to know the Awesome Me? I understand. Come on, let's move to the kitchen."

Feliciano followed the German into the kitchen, still carrying his feather duster. Gilbert grabbed himself an orange and tossed one to Feli. "Here, you look like a skeleton." Feliciano eagerly took the fruit and peeled the skin off. His teeth sunk into the orange, causing juices to fly everywhere. He licked his lips and finished the fruit in a record-breaking time. Gilbert smirked and handed a napkin to Feli.

"Wipe your mouth, kid."

Feliciano obeyed and smiled brightly. "Veh, thank you so much! You're so kind!"

"Aren't I, though?" his smirk widened.

"Hmm. I don't mean to sound rude but why is your hair white and your eyes red?"

"What? Because I'm an albino! Awesome, isn't it?"

"Ooo, yes!" Feli began to clean up the orange peels left on the floor (courtesy of Gilbert).

A tiny yellow chick flew into the room and perched itself on Gilbert's head. Feliciano stared at the bird in curiosity. Gilbert followed Feli's eyes.

"Ah, this is my pet chick. His name is Gilbird."

"Gilbert and Gilbird? Cute!"

Gilbert chuckled. "You think so? West thinks it's stupid."

Feliciano assumed that this "West" was Ludwig. He wouldn't question the nickname.

* * *

><p>After a half hour of talking, Feliciano realized that Gilbert and Ludwig were like night and day. Gilbert: extremely carefree, no job, a slob, self-confident.<p>

Ludwig: extremely uptight, workaholic, neat freak, very shy.

"He is so damn awkward," Gilbert opened a beer. "I don't think he'll ever find love."

"I think his shyness is really cute!" Feli blurted out.

There was an instant silence. Scarlet eyes looked into amber. Feli realized his mistake. Uh oh.

"Cute? You think Ludwig is _cute?_"

Feli gulped and nodded slowly. A smirk spread onto Gilbert's face and he started to cackle. Feli didn't know whether his worry should grow or decline. "Oh man," Gilbert wiped his eyes, "West is a lot of things but _cute_ ain't one of them."

Feli felt started to relax a little. "Veh? Why not? I think he's really cute."

"Oh, you poor kid. You've got the love bug, huh?"

Feliciano's sun-kissed cheeks grew a deep crimson and he looked away. "Come on," Gilbert's voice grew softer, "You can tell me." Feli nodded and tears started to roll down his cheeks. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. His eyes were met by scarlet.

"Hey, why are you upset? I don't have a problem with gays."

Feliciano sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeves. "Y-you don't?"

"Nein." Gilbert's eyes widened. A light bulb went on above his head. "Wait…that's why you were put into the camps, weren't you? Because you're a homosexual?"

Fresh tears poured from his eyes as Feli hid his face in his hands. "Yes!" he chocked out. Gilbert rubbed Feliciano's back sympathetically. "Shhhh, it's okay."

The tears ceased after a minute and Feli looked back up at the older German. "You really don't mind?"

"No, I don't. My two best friends are gay…and someone else I'm close with."

"Veh, really?" Feli smiled.

"Really," Gilbert smiled back. Feliciano now felt very comfortable with his new friend. He told him something only one other person knew, and that was Lovino.

"You know, I never told Ludwig. I was afraid he would stop being my friend."

"Tell me, Feli: why did he pick you out of all other prisoners?"

Feliciano then told Gilbert the whole story, beginning with the events that happened a week ago. He told him of Poldek, Steinway, and Lovino. He also told him of the "snowflakes" he saw coming from the chimneys.

"I can't tell you about the chimneys," Gilbert rubbed the back of his neck (a nervous tick shared by his brother). "Your brother is there? I'm sorry, kid."

"Ah, it's okay. He's strong-willed. I believe in him."

Gilbert didn't discuss Lovino any further. He didn't want to upset Feli. "From what you've told me," Gilbert stood from the kitchen chair, "It sounds like West really cares about you."

Feli blushed slightly, "You think so?"

"I know so. I'm his brother so I've known him all my life; he usually doesn't care about prisoners. Well, until now, that is. Plus, he's mentioned you before."

Feliciano's face grew even brighter. "Really?"

"Yep! I think he likes you." Gilbert's devilish smirk grew wider.

Feli's eyes widened. "Veh, he's…like that?"

Before Gilbert could answer, the front door slammed open and closed. Footsteps came towards the kitchen in a rapid pace. Ludwig walked straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. Feli and Gilbert looked at each other, and then back to the sergeant. He was chugging down about fifty percent of his beer. Gilbert sighed and plucked the bottle from his hands, causing beer to escape his lips and drip down his chin. Ludwig groaned crossly and wiped his mouth. He opened his mouth to protest, but was stopped by the look his older brother gave him. He didn't listen to his older brother very often, but when it came to his drinking, he knew his brother was reliable. Most of the time.

Ludwig looked at Feliciano. "Oh, hello Feli."

"Hello Ludwig!" his ever-present smile widened. Ludwig smiled back. He was always so happy.

Ludwig turned to his brother. "Did you scare Feli?"

"No!" Gilbert and Feli said in unison. Ludwig was surprised by the spontaneous response.

"Veh! Gilbert is really, really, really cool!"

"See that, West?" Gilbert slung an arm around Ludwig, "Feli thinks I'm awesome."

Ludwig rolled his eyes and removed his brother's arm. "Hmph. Well, I'm glad that you two are getting along." Feli clapped.

"Oh!" he flailed his arms, "I cleaned like you said! Gilbert kind of made a mess when he came in through the door…."

Ludwig stared at his brother. "How many times do I have to tell you to clean up after yourself?"

"A million and one and I'd still not do it," Gilbert immaturely stuck his tongue out.

Feli giggled. "Veh, how was your day, Ludwig?"

"Eh, same as usual. Steinway kept staring at me. Your brother and Poldek are still alright."

"YAY!"

Ludwig smiled and shook his head at Feli's enthusiasm.

"Ohhh Wesssssst?" Gilbert hissed through a smirk

"Ohhh Osten?" Ludwig again rolled his eyes.

"Come in the other room."

"Fiiinneeee." Ludwig turned to Feli. "If you don't mind, can you make me something to eat? I didn't eat lunch today…"

"Yes! I love to cook!" Feli grabbed an apron which was hanging from the handle of the closet. He opened the closet filled with different ingredients and spices and immediately began to create a meal.

The German brothers walked passed the dinning room into the living room.

"Now what is it, Gilbert?" Ludwig sat on the couch and began to unlace his combat boots.

"I think that you should talk to Feli about why he was put into the camp," Gilbert relaxed on a chair opposite to the couch.

Ludwig looked up from untying his boots. "Why is that?"

Gilbert's trademark smirk twisted his features. "It'll be to your benefit."

Ludwig took off his boots and reclined on the sofa. "Part of me wants to ask why, but then part of me is afraid."

Gilbert chuckled. "You'll see. Trust me, just do it tonight."

Ludwig sighed. "Fine." He put his head back on the cushion and closed his eyes. Whatever Feliciano smelled delicious. _He's Italian, of course he can cook._ After a little while of relaxing, he heard a sing-song voice call, "Ready~!" Ludwig opened his eyes and got off the couch. His brother woke from his nap and followed him into the dinning room. A pair of blue eyes and red widened at the dinner that greeted them. There was a big dish of wurst in the middle of the table surround by mash potatoes, gravy, and spaghetti with tomato sauce. Ludwig's stomach growled. It all looked so excellent.

"Feliciano," Ludwig sat down at the table, "This all looks so excellent!"

"Thank you~" he jumped up and down. He then turned t go out of the room.

"Hey, where are you goin'?" Gilbert asked. "Aren't you going to eat with us?"

"Huh? I'm allowed to eat with you?"

"Of course you can!" The brothers answered in unison. Feliciano beamed and sat down, saying "thank you" all the way. The Germans demolished their wurst and mashed potatoes, Ludwig being neat and Gilbert getting a mess everywhere around him. Feliciano chomped down his pasta like there was no tomorrow. _I never thought I'd be able to eat pasta again,_ he thought to himself. The dinner was finished rather quickly and Feliciano began to clean up.

"Thank you for the marvelous meal, Feliciano," Ludwig helped with the dishes.

"Oh, no problem! Hey, don't help me! This is what I'm here for."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir!" He saluted and got dish soap on his forehead. Ludwig smirked and not thinking, wiped it off with his first three fingers. This small gesture resulted in racing heartbeats and flushed cheeks.

"Um," Ludwig began to dart towards the door, "I'm going to bed!" Feliciano stared after the German in confusion, but continued to clean.

* * *

><p>Ludwig blinked opened his eyes sleepily. The neon red numbers on his clock perched on his bedside table read "1:45 p.m." He closed his eyes and rolled over. He was going to have another sleepless night. Strangely, his bed felt a lot warmer than usual. Actually, it felt like something was there! He opened his eyes and made a rather unmanly yelp. "F-Feliciano!" he gasped. The Italian opened his eyes. He closed them again and wrapped his arms around Ludwig's neck, muttering something in Italian. Ludwig stammered and sat up quickly. Feli's arms fell and he woke up and looked around. "Hmmm? Oh, hi Ludwig."<p>

"Hi? All you can say is hi?" he growled.

Feli rolled onto his back and looked at the German curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Why the hell are you in my bed?"

Feli looked down. "Oh…I had a really terrible nightmare and I got very scared and…"

Ludwig sighed and laid back down. Feli just looked so innocent and defeated. "Alright…but just for tonight!"

"Okay!" Feli snuggled up to Ludwig's arm. Ludwig stiffened immediately and cleared his throat. "Ummm…" What was he to say? His servant was snuggling him in bed!

"Hey…can I ask you something?" Ludwig's voice was very soft and tender. Feliciano opened his eyes again to look at his friend through the darkness. Moonlight illuminated the room, giving their skin a milky glow. "Why…why were you in the camp? I'm just so curious…"

Feliciano took a deep breath. Gilbert was okay with it, so maybe Ludwig would be, too? "It's because," he whispered, "I'm gay."

Blue eyes widened and met an ashamed brown. He really did not think Feliciano would be gay. He thought he would have multiple girlfriends in one week. After all, he was so charming…What was he saying? Was he really falling for this boy? Brown eyes awaited a response. He had to do something. "I-I," Ludwig stuttered dumbly. He paused. Should he really tell? Then again, Feli just told him his secret, so shouldn't he do the same? "If I tell you something, will you promise not to ever tell anyone else?"

"Yes," Feli responded softly.

"I'm…that…too."

Feliciano was beyond stunned. Sergeant Ludwig Beilschmidt, member of the Nazi Party, was a homosexual? All they could do was stare into each other's eyes and wait for the other to make a move. Without warning, Feliciano grabbed Ludwig by his black tank top and pressed their lips together. Ludwig gasped, which allowed Feliciano to snake his tongue into the larger man's mouth. Recovering from the shock, Ludwig's eyes slipped close and he gave into the kiss. The fight for dominance raged for a few moments before the two broke apart. They panted with crimson cheeks and wide eyes. "Fe…Feliciano…" The Italian hugged the German. "Please don't tell anyone," he whispered. Ludwig hugged him back. "Of course not. What…does this make us now? A couple?"

"I suppose. Hehe, your lips are really soft."

Ludwig blushed deeper (if that was even possible,) and returned the embrace. "Ja, yours are too." Feli giggled. They held each other few a few more minutes until Feli's arms loosened around Ludwig's torso, asleep. Ludwig stared at Feliciano's sleeping face and pressed a kiss shyly to his forehead. For once, his big brother's advice was actually to his benefit.

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><p><strong>Did you like the end? *smirk* I hope you did. Please review~ (I know I say this every time but I don't care)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Another chapter! My beloved fans, this story is coming to an end soon! I think that this wil end at Chapter 13. Maybe 14. I don't know. I'm running out of ideas!**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>Feliciano awoke to the sound of an alarm clock. He groaned and snuggled deeper into the pillow he was clinging to. He was surprised when the pillow started moving and actually rose from the bed. He opened his eyes to find Ludwig standing in front of the bed, stretching in blue boxers that were a little too short. Ludwig had a really nice butt. Feli held back a giggle and closed his eyes again. He guessed that he hugged Ludwig and not a pillow. Memories of the previous night flooded his brain. He told Ludwig why he was put in the camp. Ludwig confessed to him that he was also a homosexual. He kissed Ludwig! The memory made him so giddy that he kicked his feet and giggled into his hands. He never imagined that Ludwig would actually kiss him back; he thought he would grow extremely angry and send him back to the camp. But, Gilbert's speculation was true. Ludwig liked him. The feeling was so amazing that Feli couldn't stop smiling to save his life. But, he then remembered why he sneaked into Ludwig's bed in the first place. He had an awful nightmare. He dreamt that the war was over and he went to the camp to find his brother and friend. When he arrived, they were both skeletons. Feliciano began to cry. His buried his face in his arms to try to stifle the sounds. "Lovino," he whimpered.<p>

When Ludwig walked back into his bedroom from the bathroom, felt positively horrid. It must have been awful to be separated from his brother like that, but what could he do? Feliciano felt a hand start to pet his hair.

"I'm sorry," he heard a whisper.

He continued to cry. After a few moments, the hand lifted from his head. Feli heard a quiet "I'll be home soon" and listened to Ludwig's footsteps fade away. When he heard the front door open and shut, Feli got up. He wiped his eyes and sighed. He looked at the time. 5:30 a.m. Wow, was it really that early? He could surely sleep for a few more hours and still get work done. He crawled over to Ludwig's spot and cuddled his pillow. Out of curiosity, he sniffed it. The pillow smelled like pomegranate shampoo. _Mmm, yummy._ Feliciano sighed contently and fell asleep for a few more hours.

* * *

><p>Ludwig, on the other hand, was going through an emotional turmoil. He was a sergeant in a concentration camp. Yes, a respected sergeant who always did well at his job. A sergeant who personally spoke with and shook the hand of the Fuhrer, his leader. Yes, he was that important. So why, tell him, why the hell did he began a relationship with a prisoner? A <em>gay <em>prisoner? Wasn't Feliciano the exact kind of person his country wanted to exterminate? Wasn't that the sole reason why Feli was put in the camp to begin with? A migraine was emerging. He needed to clear his mind. Ludwig walked to the bathroom (the clean one only for Germans, of course). No one else was in there. Thank God. He walked over to the sink and took off his hat. He began to wash his face out with cold water. He turned off the faucet and looked at himself in the mirror. His cheeks were pink, his hair slightly disheveled, and his eyes were wide. Ludwig was taken aback by the look of worry and fear in his eyes. He began to breathe heavily. What the hell was happening to him? He put a hand over his face and squinted his eyes shut. It felt like his brain was about to explode and then pour out his eyes.

"Ludwig," a voice made him jump.

The sergeant looked over to see Corporal Steinway. _Just who I need, _Ludwig thought bitterly. And yet, there was a ground-breaking look of concern on the corporal's face.

"What's wrong? You don't look too well."

Ludwig shook his head. "I just feel a little under the weather. I'll be fine."

Steinway nodded and walked over to the urinals, shamelessly unzipping his pants and peeing. Ludwig would never understand how men could just pee in front of each other like that. Ever since grade school, he would hold it in until he was the only one in the bathroom. But, enough about that.

"You've been acting strange for the past couple of days," Steinway spoke again, zipping his pants. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Ja, just stressed I suppose." Stressed to the point of banging his head against a wall.

"Ah, I know what you mean." Steinway began to wash his hands. The two stared at each other through the large mirror on the wall. "So, that prisoner you brought with you."

"Yes?" Ludwig felt his heart start to pump faster, "What about him?"

"How is he? Is he doing his work?"

"Yes, actually. He's a fine cook."

"Is that so?" Steinway's usual scowl crept up on his face. "Then you wouldn't mind if he were to cook for others, would do?"

Ludwig was confused, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Steinway's rat-like smirk appeared, "That why don't the soldiers and I come over and see? Of course, prisoners must be monitored even outside of the camps."

Ludwig's palms were soaked with sweat under his gloves. That bastard wanted to see whether or not Feli should stay or be sent back! He wanted a dinner party? Fine, Feli could do it.

"That's quite alright," Ludwig grinned. "How many people are we talking about?"

"Hmm, around fifteen. Counting you and your brother, seventeen."

Ludwig got nervous again. Seventeen people? How was one little Italian supposed to cook for seventeen people and clean everything afterwards?

"Seventeen? That'll be alright but…"

Steinway raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"To cook for that many and then clean everything afterwards? That's a lot for one person."

"And? Who cares? After all, it's just a prisoner."

"Ja," Ludwig saw this as the perfect opportunity, "but I've been thinking: I want another one."

Steinway blinked. "Another prisoner?"

"Yes. My house is fairly large and one won't be enough to clean everything."

"So you're saying that he's slacking?" Steinway checked himself out in the mirror.

Ludwig clenched his fists behind his back. "Not at all. Another one will be required, that's all."

Steinway looked at Ludwig through the mirror. "Hmm, if you really want another mouth to feed. Alright. But I don't know why you're asking my permission; you're a higher rank than I, you know."

Ludwig felt like face-palming. It seemed like not only the prisoners, but he thought that Steinway was in charge because of his repulsive attitude. "Yes, but I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be surprised when you came over."

Steinway nodded and the two exited the lavatory. "So, who did you have in mind?"

The winter sun had no effect on the cold air. Freezing and starving, the prisoners still worked. Ludwig's sharp voice sliced through the air, "Prisoner A-976!"

Hazel eyes perked up. Wasn't that the German that took Feliciano away? The prisoner hurried over to the soldier. "You're coming with me," Ludwig said. Hazel eyes widened, but the boy nodded obediently.

* * *

><p>Feliciano was in his uniform, scrubbing the kitchen floor absentmindedly. His thoughts were far too occupied on his brother and Ludwig. He felt a very strange mixture of happiness and sadness. He was happy because of his relationship with Ludwig, but sad because his brother was not there. Salty tears dripped onto the hardwood floor. He heard someone come in. He looked at the clock and titled his head in confusion. It was only 10:45. Ludwig doesn't come home that early...unless it's Gilbert? He stopped cleaning and looked at the door, hearing footsteps draw closer. The door opened and there was none other than Ludwig with an abnormal smile on his face. Feliciano would have marveled at how beautiful Ludwig's smile was if he wasn't so damn curious.<p>

"Veh, Ludwig? I thought you don't get done work until later."

"I usually don't," his smile didn't disappear, "But I brought a surprise for you."

Feliciano's face lit up immediately. "Ooo, a surprise? What is it?"

Ludwig looked behind him and said, "Come on."

Feliciano's confusion melted away into pure shock when he saw his twin standing in front of his face. Feliciano stood up from the floor and tackled his brother into a bone-crushing hug. "Lovino!"

Said brother hugged back. "Feliciano! That German bastard said I could stay here with you!" he said to his brother in Italian. Ludwig smiled as the brothers hugged for another minute. He was glad he could save Feli's brother, too. Even though he couldn't save everyone…

"Lovino," Feliciano broke the embrace, "You shouldn't call him a bastard," he said back in Italian. "He saved our lives!"

"For now," Lovino rolled his eyes.

Ludwig cleared his throat and both Italians directed their attention to the German. "I'm glad I could reunite you two but I have to go back to work. Feliciano, show your brother around the house and tell him what to do. He will be staying in your room. I'll be back later this afternoon. Alright?"

"Yes, sir!" Feliciano saluted.

_I should really tell him to salute with his right hand_, Ludwig thought as he walked out the door. He now saved a pair of Italian twins. _Brother will think I'm keeping them as sex twins,_ Ludwig thought to himself as he drove away.

Feliciano showed his brother around the house just as Ludwig did. "And this is our bedroom!" Feli finished the tour.

"Bastard has a nice place," Lovi nodded. "I could get used to this."

"Veh, we still have to work, fratello."

"Si, I know. What do we have to do?"

"Just clean around and then make dinner and stuff. Oh, Ludwig has a brother that stays with him. I actually don't know where he is…"

"Great, two German bastards."

"Lovi!" Feliciano playfully slapped his brother's arm. "They're really nice! They actually treat me like a human and don't care that I'm gay."

Lovino looked at his brother. "You told them?"

"Si, but they didn't mind." Feli felt a smirk tug at his lips. Ludwig _definitely _didn't mind. He thought about telling his brother that Ludwig was the same way, but he remembered that Ludwig wanted it to stay a secret. He was not the one to disobey his Luddy, so he ended the conversation there.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Ludwig was sitting in his living room with Gilbert, waiting for dinner. Ludwig hadn't felt this stressed in a long time. Heck, he probably never felt this stressed before. He couldn't talk to Feli about the situation and all of his friends were Nazis. So basically, his brother was the only person to turn to for advice. His ignorant, cocky, self-absorbed brother. Well, it was better than no one.<p>

"Gilbert," Ludwig spoke.

The older Beilschmidt brother looked up at the sound if his name. "Ja?"

"Well…last night I…kind of…" he struggled to get the words out of his mouth.

Ludwig winced as his brother's customary smirk graced his lips. "What, did you sleep with your little Italian?"

"N-no!" Ludwig's cheeks and nose were scarlet. "B-but we did…k-kiss…"

Gilbert face was dead serious. He stared at his younger brother. "…What?"

Ludwig was actually a little scared by his brother's reaction. "He sneaked into my b-bed because he had a nightmare and he told me why he w-was put into the camp. I c-confessed that I'm the same way and then we…" his voice broke off.

Gilbert calmly stood up from his armchair and sat down next to Ludwig on the sofa. He then flung his arms around his brother's shoulders and started to cackle.

"FINALLY! I've been waiting for you to get a boyfriend since you w-" Ludwig's large hand instantaneously covered Gilbert's mouth.

"Shhhh! Don't you see what a big problem this is?" Gilbert shook his head. Ludwig sighed and released his brother. "If anyone were to find out that I'm gay I would be thrown right into the camp! But, this situation is ten times worse!" He lowered his voice to a whisper, "If anyone were to find out that I'm in a relationship with a prisoner I would surely be killed!"

All traces of humor were erased from Gilbert's face. "Oh…that is bad…"

"Ja, you think? I'm losing my mind over here because I don't know what to do!"

Gilbert furrowed his white eyebrows. "Hmm…just act like your normal emotionally repressed self when others are present and you'll be fine!"

Ludwig ignored the "emotionally repressed" part and continued, "I guess. But if you tell _anyone_ about this; I'll be dead before you can blink."

Gilbert gulped. "Of course not. I would never let that happen."

* * *

><p>Listening from the dinning room, Lovino stared a hole through Feliciano. "A relationship?" he growled in Italian. "You're in a relationship with a German?"<p>

"Shh! Yes, okay?"

"How could you?" Lovino's voice grew louder. "They are the enemy!"

"And I'm supposed to be his enemy," Feli's voice remained at normal volume. "But he still likes me! Lovino, didn't you listen to his words? If anyone were to find out he would die! He took a huge risk bringing us here; don't you think he might be a little better than the rest?"

"I'm still suspicious!" Lovino set the last dish on the dinning room table. "You never know with them!"

Ludwig and Gilbert looked at each other in confusion and shrugged. They couldn't understand a single drop of Italian, but they knew that they were arguing about something.

"Dinner~!" Feli's voice called.

As the brothers were making their way towards the dinning room, the doorbell rang.

"Haha, yes!" Gilbert darted to the door.

"Oh God, please don't tell me it's who I think it is..."

"Antonio! Francis!"

Ludwig face-palmed. Damn it, it was! "Gilbert! How many times did I have to tell you to inform me when your friends are to come over?"

"Awww, don't pretend like you didn't miss me," Francis smirked. Ludwig rolled his eyes and entered the dinning room.

"I hate to inform you two, but my brother's stupid friends are here. Can you put out two more plates?"

The Italians nodded and did what they were told. Gilbert and his friends entered the room, laughing loudly and obnoxiously. When Feli and Lovi's eyes met Antonio and Francis', they all froze. Ludwig and Gilbert looked at the four and were deeply confused.

"Veh, Francis? Antonio?"

"Feliciano? Lovino?" Antonio spoke. Green eyes watered as Antonio ran over to the Italians and hugged them both, the Frenchman following. As the four were crying and hugging each other, Ludwig and Gilbert awkwardly stood there and stared at them. What the hell was going on?

"Ummm, ahem, Feli?"

Feli let go from the hug. "Oh, Ludwig! Why didn't you tell me you knew Tony and Francis?"

"You never told me you knew them!"

"Ah, yes," Francis' always-sexual voice answered. "Tony and I have known Feli and Lovi for a long time. Years ago, Antonio took care of Lovino while Feliciano toured Europe with his grandfather. Antonio and their grandfather knew each other, you see. I, being Antonio's best friend-"

"Besides me!" Gilbert interrupted.

"Besides Gilbert, met Lovi when he was staying with Tony. I then met Feli when he and his grandfather came back. See?"

Ludwig nodded. "I see. But, why didn't Lovino go with his grandfather and brother?"

"Because he's scared of traveling!" Antonio pinched Lovi's cheek.

"Ah, bastard! Don't touch me!" Antonio giggled and hugged Lovi again.

The dinner consisted of: Antonio teasing Lovino, who would call him a bastard in response, Francis flirting with Feliciano (which made Ludwig's blood boil), and Feli not noticing that Francis' touches were a little too sensual. This whole situation made Gilbert crack up the entire time. Ludwig wanted to punch Francis in the face, take Feli in his arms, and go to bed.

"So, how did you two end up here?" Antonio asked.

Feliciano then launched into the rather long story of how he and Ludwig met, becoming a musician, becoming friends with Ludwig, getting beaten, getting demoted, and then being brought here.

"Ohonhonhonhon," Francis' laugh made Ludwig's blood curdle, "It sounds like Luddy has a crush on our little Feli."

"FRANCIS!" Ludwig hid his burning face in his napkin. Gilbert and Antonio were laughing. Feliciano giggled and his cheeks turned slightly pink. Lovino looked like he wanted to kill the German.

"Oh come on, Luddy. It's no secret that you're gay like us."

"Hey, I never said I was gay!" Gilbert chimed in.

"You're just asexual," Francis winked. This made everyone laugh except the Prussian.

"You know," Ludwig turned to Francis, "That I'm really supposed to arrest you and Tony, right?"

The Spaniard and Frenchman stiffened. Ludwig smiled at their nervousness. "You wouldn't!" Francis said.

"Hmm, you're right; I wouldn't."

Francis and Antonio sighed in relief.

"Then wouldn't you have to arrest yourself, Luddy?" Gilbert smirked. Ludwig groaned and hid his face again. He could never win an argument with The Bad Touch Trio.

Ludwig felt weight press down on his mattress. He flipped around. "Feliciano! What are you doing here, _again?_"

"Your bed is much warmer!" Feliciano put his head on the German's chest. "Besides, I can never hug you during the day."

Ludwig sighed in defeat. He would have kicked Feli out of his bed, but the desire to touch his lover snuffed it all out. He put a strong arm around Feli's waist. He felt that Feli was gaining some weight back.

"I heard your conversation with Gilbert," Feli whispered. "Is that true?" Amber eyes looked into azure, "Could you really die because of me?"

Ludwig blushed under Feli's stare but nodded. "Yes, I could. But I've been thinking about it all night. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Feliciano's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really. You've made me realize that this whole war is wrong."

Feliciano was silent for a moment. "Do you think…that we could ever live a normal life together?"

"I don't know," Ludwig sighed, rubbing circles in Feli's back. "A world without this war seems so far away."

"Yeah…I wonder if it will ever end…."

* * *

><p><strong>Lovino is saved! :D Yes, The Bad Touch Trio has arrived! I love them so much. Hehe. Please review~<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Another chapter, oh my! I'm trying to drag this out because I don't want it to end. :(**

**Enjoy~**

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><p>For the first time in what felt like forever, Ludwig actually had a day off work. Very seldom, yes, but he hated having a break from work. Well, he normally would. But now, he hated his job more and more each day. His work was gruesome and sinful. It was the work a madman would cringe at. Yet, he had to do it. So yes, he was very happy to have a break from work. He actually slept until 10:30! That hadn't happened since his childhood. Ludwig was lying in his bed with his arms wrapped around his sleeping Italian. He smiled and closed his eyes again. The late morning sun was shining through the curtains and warming Ludwig's arm and back. He knew what he wanted to do today; cuddle with Feliciano. Their first kiss two nights ago was their only kiss. Since then, Feli and Ludwig haven't had much alone time. Especially with Lovino and Gilbert around the house. Ludwig opened his eyes to look at his lover. His face grew pink as he reached over to cup Feliciano's cheek. Feli smiled in his sleep and nuzzled into the larger man's hand. Ludwig's blush grew deeper and he began to stroke Feli's cheek with his thumb. Feliciano hummed in contentment. Long lashes rose to the top of his eyes and brown met blue. Feli and Ludwig smiled at each other.<p>

"Good morning."

"Good morning." Ludwig continued to stroke Feli's cheek. Feli put his hand over Ludwig's and his smile grew wider. Feli scooted a little closer when-

"FRATELLO! Che diavolo ci fai qui?"

The couple jumped and looked at the intruder standing in the doorway. Lovino's face was a bright red and his teeth were clenched.

"Ah, Lovino! I just wanted to spend some time with Ludwig!"

"Spend some time? More like get in his pants!"

Ludwig hid his face in his hands and shook his head, listening to the brothers argue.

"I just wanted to spend some time with my boyfriend..."

"BOYFRIEND?"

"Feliciano!" Ludwig covered Feli's mouth. Ludwig turned to Lovino. "Listen, Lovino. I haven't done anything with your brother and I don't plan to."

Lovino was still fuming, but nodded and slammed the door shut. He didn't want to argue with a Nazi, after all. But that didn't mean he wouldn't stop hating the man!

Ludwig released Feli's mouth and they sighed in unison.

"Yeah, that's my brother; always overprotective."

"At least your brother isn't horribly immature and drinks twenty-four/seven."

Feli giggled and got out of bed. Ludwig followed suit and got dressed. He put on a pair of black pants and a white button-down shirt. Feli put on his usual uniform and looked at Ludwig. The German had the first three buttons of his shirt opened, revealing some of his chest. Feliciano smiled as he remembered the night when he caught Ludwig shirtless. That was amazing. His chest was so beautiful. His whole body was so beautiful. So well sculpted; it was like that of a Roman god. Ludwig noticed Feliciano staring at him and cleared his throat. Feli blushed and looked away. Ludwig looked at the small section of Feli's chest he could see from the unbuttoned shirt. His chest looked sun-kissed like the rest of him. One of the physical aspects he loved most about the Italian was his beautiful, caramel skin.

"Ludwig, do you like the beach?" Feli asked while buttoning the rest of his shirt.

"The beach? No."

Feliciano frowned. "Aww, why not? The beach is fun! You can go swimming, build a sand castle, get a nice tan-"

"That's the exact reason why I hate going to the beach," Ludwig interrupted.

Feliciano tilted his head in confusion. Ludwig went on, "Look at me: I'm as white as a ghost. I never get tan. My skin always burns and I look like a lobster."

Feli laughed. "I can imagine."

Ludwig rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom and Feli went into the hallway bathroom. Ludwig brushed his teeth, used the toilet, and picked up his hair-gel. He slicked his hair back in its customary confinement. He saw Feli from the bathroom mirror and frowned. "What is it, Feli?"

Feli twiddled his fingers together. "It's just that…I love your hair when it's all in your eyes. It's so cute like that, veh!"

Ludwig shifted his feet uncomfortably. "It's not very proper…"

"Proper? You're in your own house!"

Ludwig sighed and pushed his hair back in front of his eyes. Feli squealed and hugged Ludwig. "Mmmm, thank you Luddy!"

Ludwig stiffened. He didn't think he would ever stop blushing at that nickname. "Uh, ja. No problem…"

* * *

><p>Feliciano and Ludwig went downstairs for breakfast. Feliciano and Lovino made delicious pancakes for Francis, Antonio (the two stayed overnight), Gilbert, Ludwig, and themselves. Antonio laughed at the death glares Lovino kept sending Ludwig.<p>

"Awww, my little tomato," Antonio pinched Lovi's cheek. "You're so red!"

"Get your hands off me, bastard!"

Feliciano, Francis, and Gilbert laughed while Ludwig just tried to eat his dinner in peace. "So West," Gilbert said with a mouthful of pancakes and syrup. "Why is your hair down today? Aren't you always an uptight asshole?"

"Feliciano told me to keep it down," Ludwig ignored his brother's insult.

"Ohonhonhonhon," Francis grinned. "Taking advice from your little cher?"

Ludwig blushed and kept his head down near his plate. Feliciano seemed completely unfazed by Francis' little side comment. Instead, he joined the conversation.

"Veh, Francis, don't you think Luddy looks cute like that?"

"Ohonhon?" Francis' laugh, if possible, was more sexual than usual. "You call him by a nickname? How sweet. Love is in the air!" Francis waved his arms above his head for effect.

Ludwig thanked God when the phone on the wall rang. He stood up and walked over to answer it. Everyone's direction was directed toward the younger German, knowing it probably had to do with work. The expression on Ludwig's facial expression seemed a bit anxious. They could only hear Ludwig's side of the conversation.

"Hallo? Oh, yes…Um, that'll be fine. Jawohl. No problem at all. I'll see you all then." Ludwig hung up the phone and looked at the expecting crowd.

"That was Steinway," Ludwig ran a hand through his messy hair. Feliciano and Lovino tensed at the name and exchanged glances.

"And?" Gilbert's voice was dark. "What does that bastard want?"

"He wants us to host a dinner part here for tomorrow at 5:00. There will be fifteen soldiers. Steinway said that it was to moderate you," Ludwig looked at his servants. "What do you think? Can you cook for around twenty people? Well, if Francis and Antonio are staying?" he looked at the Spaniard and Frenchman.

"Si, we are," Tony spoke for them. "Just for two more days."

Ludwig suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and turned back to his servants.

"Hmm, I suppose we could." Feli played with his apron. What do you think, Lovi?"

"Well, I guess so. I don't think we have much of a choice."

Ludwig then made a list of German foods that the Italians were to make. "I believe we have all the ingredients," he said. The Italians studied the list. With the Germans' fairly large kitchen and ample supplies, they figured that they could finish the dinner in three hours.

"We'll start cooking at 1:45," Lovi turned to his brother. "So they food is ready for them." Feli nodded.

After breakfast, Ludwig told his servants that they could take the day off. "You'll be working a lot tomorrow," he reasoned. Antonio smiled and put his arm around Lovino. "That means we could spend some time alone, Lovi!" he laughed into Lovino's chestnut hair. Lovino cursed and tried to get away from the older man, but failed. Feliciano smiled and shook his head. They would never change. Francis and Gilbert decided to drink beer and watch TV. "Maybe you can get it in with Feli," Gilbert whispered to Ludwig. Ludwig looked at his brother in utter horror as the older German cackled. No, Ludwig would not "get it in with Feli." He would spend the day relaxing and cuddling. Sure, it wasn't the manliest thing in the world, but right now he couldn't give two fucks.

* * *

><p>Feliciano and Ludwig made their way back upstairs and to "their" bedroom. They sat on the freshly made bed and embraced. Feliciano rested his head on Ludwig's chest and inhaled the German's scent. He smelled of leather, cologne, and hair gel. The smell was just another intoxicating quality about his boyfriend. Ludwig hesitantly rested his cheek on the top of Feliciano's head and put an arm around him. They seemed to fit perfectly together.<p>

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of their breathing filling the room. "Ludwig?" Feliciano spoke.

"Ja?" he looked down.

"Why does Steinway hate me so much?"

Ludwig shook his head and hugged the Italian tighter. "I don't know, Feli. I don't know. He hates everyone so don't feel too bad."

"It just seems like he hates me more than others…"

"I think he's just mad because you were spared," Ludwig answered honestly.

Feliciano shrugged. "I guess so. I hope he dies."

Ludwig stared at Feli. "You shouldn't say things like that."

Feli furrowed his brows. "Why shouldn't I? Why shouldn't I hate a man who beat me? Discriminates me?"

Ludwig could honestly say that Feliciano had him stumped. "Well…you got me there…you're right. I hate him, too. After what he did…"

Feli snuggled back into Ludwig's chest and closed his eyes. "Everyday, I wonder how I could ever thank you for saving me. I mean, I owe my life to you."

The soldier blushed and thought about is words carefully. "You can," his voice shook a little, making Feli looked up. "Just…stay with me…that would mean more to me than anything…" Ludwig's face was cherry colored and he looked everywhere but his lover. Feli flushed slightly and put his hand on Ludwig's chin, making their eyes meet.

"Awww, you're so sweet!" Feli wrapped his arms around Ludwig's neck and kissed him on the lips. Still blushing madly, Ludwig kissed back and wrapped his arms around the smaller man's back. Feli was in paradise. Sitting on a nice, warm bed, hugging and kissing his handsome German boyfriend. He wasn't exactly sure if he loved Ludwig. In reality, he only knew the man for a week and a few days. Plus, he had no idea what true love felt like. Neither did Ludwig.

But still, they kissed until their lungs begged for air. They broke apart and smiled sweetly. The cuddled again and closed their eyes. Ludwig ran a hand up and down Feli's back, trying to lull the Italian to sleep. It would have normally worked, but there was something on Feliciano's mind that wouldn't go away.

"Ludwig?"

The blonde looked down at him. "I was just wondering…it seems like you hate your job; why did you join in the first place?"

Feliciano felt Ludwig's muscles tense at his question. But Feli looked the man in the eyes and wanted an answer. Ludwig saw this and knew he couldn't just drop the subject he never wanted to discuss.

"I was put into the Hitler Youth," he spoke quietly. "Everyone had to join. I hate that organization, if you could even call it that. All they do is brainwash innocent children into becoming Nazis."

"What do they make the girls do?" Feli asked.

"Basically put it in their heads that they must become mothers and continue the 'superior race.' The men have to train to become soldiers."

Feliciano took the information in, but was still confused. "But, I thought that they just make the boys ready for combat? How did you become a sergeant? And didn't Gilbert have to join, too?"

This was the exact question Ludwig was dreading. He sighed. "Gilbert went there, but only for a couple of years because he's older than I. He didn't believe anything they told him. I wish I was like him. I believed everything they told me. I didn't have a doubt in my mind that anything they said was wrong. I loved der Fuhrer and read _Mein Kampf _several times. I wanted to do more than just fight. I wanted to be an important soldier and help in a camp. (Feliciano frowned at this). After a few years, I climbed my way up until I became a sergeant. My parents resented it, for as I told you before, they hated Hitler. I hated them. And yet, I couldn't find the heart to arrest them. Feliciano, I hated every single Jew, gypsy, and homosexual. I'm not proud to admit it, but I did."

Feli was silent. An image of a young Ludwig in a Hitler Youth uniform, raising his arm and screaming "heil Hitler" came into his mind. It was very disturbing. "Then," Feli sat up, now extremely interested. "How did your mind change? How could you go from hate to sympathy?"

Ludwig was silent. He thought for a few moments. He never really gave that part much thought. "Well…when I was sure that I was gay, which happened when I was around sixteen, I began to doubt Hitler. At first, I was disgusted with myself for being the exact person my country wanted to extinguish. But Gilbert told me that there was nothing wrong with it and they're wrong. I was very angry with him at first. I could have arrested him for saying something like that, but like my parents, I didn't. I became extremely anxious that someone would find out about me and arrest me. Thankfully, no one did. But the thing that made me hate Hitler was the arrest of my parents.

"At that point, my mind was in mayhem. I could barely look at myself in the mirror. How could I ever support someone who not only wanted to kill me, but my parents? But of course, I could not disagree with them. I would have the same fate. Feli, when I met you I was already doubting the concentration camps. But you made me realize everything the Nazis stand for is wrong. We are not superior; no one is. I hate going to work because I can't stand looking at the pain on their faces."

Ludwig's voice cracked and Feli's eyes widened. Ludwig abruptly left the bed and walked near the window, leaning against the wall. "How could they be so fucking inhumane? And how could I have once believed it was right?"

Feliciano scurried to his lover and put his arms around his torso. He frowned when he felt Ludwig start to shake. He stood on his toes and rested his chin on Ludwig's broad shoulder.

"Veh, please don't cry," he pet the blonde locks. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. I'm a fucking monster."

Feliciano turned Ludwig around so their eyes could meet. "Ludwig Beilschmidt, I want you to look at me." Watery blue met soft brown. "You know what the difference is between you and those monsters?"

Ludwig shook his head. Feli sighed in exasperation. "You're sorry for what you did! You have remorse and they don't. They have hatred; you have compassion. They kill without thinking; you never kill unless you're directly ordered." Feli cupped Ludwig's cheeks with his hands and wiped away stray tears with his thumbs. "You're right; you can't disagree. You have to be their puppet until this is all over."

Ludwig removed Feli's hands and hugged him, burying his face in auburn. Feli wrapped his arms around Ludwig's torso and inhaled his scent. "When this is all over," Ludwig whispered. "I want to move away from Germany. I want to go far as possible."

"Me too. I don't want to stay in Europe. It would bring back too many sad memories."

They let go and looked at each other. "America?" they asked in unison. They laughed.

"Haha, I guess we read each other's mind."

"Hmpf. America sounds nice. You know what they say: 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.' English is pretty similar to German so it shouldn't be too hard to learn."

"Hmmm… 'The land of the free and the home of the brave.' Freedom…" Feli's mind seemed to be somewhere else. "I don't remember what freedom feels like…"

Feliciano usually put on a happy face for everyone, but every now and again he would let his true sadness appear. "I wish I could go outside and just run around in the grass, feel the warmth of sunshine, be happy without the underlying terror of being killed."

What is there to say or do with a solemn wish like that? Not knowing what to do, Ludwig just hugged Feli again. "I wish I could get away from this country. I want to be able to love a man without being killed. I want to block out all the hatred I hear everyday from them."

They hugged for a long moment before Feli spoke again. "Why do hugs feel so good?"

"It is part of human development," Ludwig replied. Feli tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Humans need each other," Ludwig answered the unspoken question. "Infants need to be held for their brain to develop properly. It's a proven fact."

Feliciano giggled. "You have a scientific reason for everything, don't you?"

"Indeed, I do," Ludwig scooped up Feli and brought him to "their" bed. "I'm going to get a book," Ludwig got up, "I'll be right back." Feli nodded and snuggled into the pillows. He looked at the clock. 2:45 p.m. Damn, how long were they talking? Ludwig came back with a black book in his hands with golden writing. He settled back on the bed and reached into the drawer of his side table. He pulled out a pair of black glasses and opened his book at a bookmark.

"Veh, I didn't know you wear glasses!"

"Oh ja, they're just for reading."

Feliciano smiled at how handsome and sophisticated he looked in those glasses. _Like a scholar_, he thought to himself. "Veh, can you read to me?"

Ludwig looked at him like he had ten heads. "Read to you? Why?"

"I like stories! Oh, and if you read to me I'll probably fall asleep and leave you alone for a few hours."

Ludwig sighed in defeat and began to read:

"_Here is a small fact: You are going to die."_

Feliciano looked up. "Veh, what kind of story is this?"

"You said you wanted me to read to you and this is the book I have. I'm not getting up to get another one."

"Fiiiinnneee."

Ludwig continued reading:

"_I am in all truthfulness attempting to be cheerful about this whole topic, though most people find themselves hindered in believing me, no matter my protestations. Please trust me. I most definitely can be cheerful. I can be amiable. Agreeable. Affable. And that's only the A's. Just don't ask me to be nice. Nice has nothing to do with me."_

Despite the darkness of his words, the sound of Ludwig's beautifully accented voice and vibration of his chest as he spoke eventually put Feliciano to sleep.

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><p><strong>This chapter was difficult to write because I wanted to explore why Luddy is different from the other Nazis. I can't have a good guy randomly in Auschwitz.<strong>_** Mein Kampf **_**is a book that Hitler wrote. It means "My Struggle." And the thing Luddy reads at the end it an excerpt from _The Book Thief,_ which is about a girl who hides a Jew in her basement in Nazi Germany told from the point of view of Death. Ironic, right? Please review~**


	11. Chapter 11

**It seems like every time I write a chapter "I Am German Made" or "Einsamkeit" shuffles on my iPod. It's very fitting. Anyway, happy belated Easter! And if you're Jewish, didn't Passover just happen? Happy Passover! And if you're not any of the above...I like Easter candy.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>For the first time in his entire life, Feliciano couldn't sleep. He took his usual siesta that afternoon without any troubles, so why couldn't he rest now? He went to bed at 11:17 and woke with a start. He had a strange nightmare of eyes. Nothing but eyes. The cold eyes that he hated with a passion. Yes, those damned eyes. They were staring at him with a twisted glint. It wasn't the most terrifying nightmare, but it still spooked him. Even so, he was in Ludwig's bed and the presence of his lover usually put him back to sleep. He woke up at 12:34 a.m., and now it was 4:53. He spent the last three hours tossing and turning, trying to cuddle with Ludwig and to erase all thoughts from his mind. He thought about going to his brother's room, but decided against it. Lovino kicked in his sleep and Feliciano did not feel like getting any more bruises on his legs.<p>

Now he was just waiting for the clock to strike 5 o'clock, the time Ludwig would get up and leave for work. Feli thought over the conversation they had yesterday. He never thought Ludwig would have so many problems; so much depth in his emotions. It's not that he expected him to be a robot detached from feelings. He just didn't expect the strong German to be so tormented. Yes, that was a good word to describe Ludwig: tormented. Feli rolled onto his side to stare at his sleeping boyfriend. Since Ludwig always woke up before Feliciano, he never watched him sleep. It may sound creepy, but Ludwig's sleeping face was beautiful. It seemed like this was the only time when the stress wrinkle between his eyebrows would smooth out. He looked so calm, almost like a baby. _I wonder if Luddy ever has nightmares, _Feli thought to himself. Ludwig shifted in his sleep and his hand grabbed Feli's. The Italian purred as the German mumbled something that sound a lot like "Feliciano." _Aww, he's dreaming about me!_ Feli kissed the larger man's pale hand and looked back at the clock. 4:58. He just had to wait two more minutes and then he could put on his uniform and work. Strange, he was actually looking forward to it. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered what he had to do today. He and Lovino were to cook for Steinway and the other Nazis. _Maybe that's why I'm so stressed out…_

The alarm broke through the pleasant silence of the morning and Ludwig groaned. His hand flopped onto the clock to turn off the power. He yawned and realized his other hand was intertwined with Feliciano's.

"Good morning," Feli hummed.

"Good morning," Ludwig responded groggily. Wait, something wasn't quite right… "Feli, why are you up so early?"

"Oh, I had a bad dream and I couldn't go back to sleep. I've been up since 12:30-ish."

Feliciano couldn't sleep? Was it the apocalypse? "Are you alright?" Ludwig placed the back of his hand on Feli's forehead.

Feli giggled and gently removed the hand. "Yes, I'm fine. Now, go get ready or you'll be late."

Ludwig nodded and got out of bed, heading to the bathroom. Feli sat up and stretched, twiddling his fingers in the air. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his uniform, which he moved to Ludwig's room. After all, he didn't sleep in his own room very often. He was buttoning his uniform when Ludwig came back in to get changed, in nothing but his boxers. Ludwig's cheeks tinged immediately.

"Oh…I forgot that you'd be in here…" he mumbled. Feli giggled and continued to put on his clothes, stealing glances at his half naked boyfriend through the mirror. There was only one thing that Feliciano liked about the Nazis: they had amazing uniforms. Ludwig looked so handsome in that uniform. Actually, that's not the right word. Sexy, Feli thought, is much more suitable.

"Are you nervous about tonight?" Feli asked.

Ludwig looked from the mirror to Feli. "Of course I am. There's a chance that I could lose you, and Lovino, for that matter. But, you should be more nervous than I am."

"I am," Feliciano sighed.

It was like a light bulb appeared above Ludwig's head. "Is that why you had a nightmare? And you couldn't sleep?"

Feli nodded and finished the last button of his uniform. Ludwig put and arm around Feliciano and kissed his hair. "Don't worry," he whispered, "You and Lovino will do fine." Strange coming from the man who barely a minute ago said he was nervous. Oh well, the reassuring hug and kiss was nice.

* * *

><p>Ludwig left for work and Feliciano skipped to his brother's room. He knocked lightly on the door.<p>

"Fratello?"

No response. Feli sighed and decided to open the door anyway, knowing that Lovino was a very heavy sleeper. He opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks. His lips were pulled into a grin and he put a hand over his mouth to muffle a giggle. Lovino was indeed still sleeping, but he was not alone. He was snuggling against the chest of Antonio, who was awake and waving to Feliciano.

"Buenos dias, amigo!"

"Buon giorno, amico!"

The two loud greetings awoke Lovino. He growled and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Antonio, who had a huge smile on his face. "Bastard, why are you smiling?"

"Because you're so cute!"

"Dumbass."

"Ohh, I don't know, Lovi," Feliciano scared the living shit out of his brother. "You must like him to let him sleep with you, veh!"

Lovino was red and sputtering, looking a lot like an embarrassed Ludwig, in Feli's opinion. Ignoring his brother's parade of curses, Feli spoke. "Come on, get dressed. We have a lot to do today."

Lovino remembered the dinner he and his brother were to prepare and nodded. After Lovi was in his uniform, the brothers headed downstairs. When they reached the bottom of the steps and entered the living room, a very strange sight greeted them. Gilbert was shirtless with one hand clutching an empty beer bottle and the other in his pants, passed out. Francis was completely naked with a rose clutched in his hands. Beer bottles littered the floor.

"BASTARDS!" Lovino screamed, waking the drunkards. The two groaned in pain and their hands simultaneously flew to their heads.

"Aww, fuck," Gilbert moaned. "Shhhhh," he rolled onto his stomach and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, shhhhhh," Francis curled up in a ball. Lovino was not pleased. Not. One. Bit. He charged at them and flung them off the couch, almost dropping them on the glass coffee table.

"Veh, Lovino! You might hurt them!"

"I don't care!" He turned his direction to the groaning idiots. "Do you two have any idea how much work we have to do today? Now we have to clean all this up _and _prepare dinner for those bastards! Are you happy?"

Gilbert stood up and grabbed his shirt (which was hanging off the side of the couch.)

"Ugh, sorry. Things just got out of hand…"

"Veh, you're lucky Luddy didn't catch you!"

"Yeah," Francis joined. "He would have killed us."

Feliciano would always be amazed at the difference between Ludwig and Gilbert. He wondered if they had anything in common. But still, knowing Ludwig, if he really disliked his brother then he would have thrown him out by now. So, Feli and Lovi began to clean the living room. They picked up all the beer bottles and scrubbed beer stains from the carpet. The room was spotless when they finished. Lovino looked at the grandfather clock in the corner. 1:30.

"Shit, Feliciano!" he jabbed his brother's arm. "We have to prepare the ingredients!"

The two got to work right away. They pulled out Ludwig's recipe books and bookmarked each food they had to make. They prepared the finest German foods. Food that made their mouths water and their stomachs twist and scream for nourishment.

"I wonder if we'll be able to eat any of this," Lovino commented.

"If there's food left over, I guess so. I'm sure Ludwig will let us." Lovino rolled his eyes at the sound of the German's name. They cooked tirelessly for hours, sweating over a hot stove and trying to perfect everything.

"It has to be perfect!" Feliciano cried.

"It will be," Lovino said with determination. Say what you want about Lovino, but he was an excellent cook. "It would be a lot better if we were cooking Italian food…"

* * *

><p>They cooked for hours and their hunger grew and grew. They finished all of the food at 4:53. They hurriedly set the plates and silverware on the table and brought out the food. They filled each glass with the finest German wine and folded each napkin. The Italians gulped when they heard the slamming of the front door. It was 5:00. "Damn Germans always have to be right on time," Lovino muttered under his breath. As the heavy footsteps and sounds of laughter grew closer, Feliciano and Lovino stood up straight and exchanged glances.<p>

A crowd of Nazis flooded the dinning room, lead by Ludwig, Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio. Ludwig's eyes narrowed on his servants. "You two," he spoke sharply. "Go into the kitchen and do not come out until I call for you. Understood?" They nodded with wide eyes and scurried into the kitchen.

Ludwig sat down at the end of the table and his guests filled the middle seats. Each soldier grabbed one of everything and dove into their food. Francis wanted to comment that French food was superior to German, but he knew that trouble would ensue afterwards. He instead sat silently and watched everyone laugh and eat. Antonio was nervous, too. Ludwig may have been a Nazi, but they've known him for years. They didn't know these men and knew they had to watch their every move.

Ludwig took a bite of roast beef. He closed his eyes in utter bliss at the flavors that coated his tongue. A small smile graced his face and he finished his meal.

"Those things can cook," a younger soldier said to Ludwig. He clenched his fist under the table. That bastard called his friends "things?" His little Feli, a thing? The Bad Touch Trio and Ludwig exchanged glances, reading each other's minds. He sipped his glass of wine and kept his temper. "Ja," Ludwig waved his hand. "They're good cooks."

"Do you have beer, Sergeant?" another soldier asked.

"Ja, sure. Feliciano! Lovino!" The prisoners practically ran to their master's side.

"Yes sir?" they asked in unison.

"I want you to bring out mugs and fill them with beer for each soldier. Oh, and," he motioned for them to come closer. They stepped forward. "You can have all the leftover food in the kitchen you want." Ludwig whispered. "Got it?" he asked sharply.

They nodded and ran to the kitchen. "You call them by their first names?"

Great. Fucking Corporal Steinway.

"Ja, they have the same last name so I can't call them by that," Ludwig responded casually.

"You don't call them by their prison numbers?" Steinway raised a thin eyebrow.

Ludwig shrugged. "Eh, just easier to call them by their names."

The servants reappeared with beer and multiple mugs. They set the mugs down quickly as their bodies allowed. As Lovino poured beer into one of the mugs, his hands slightly shook. The room froze as Lovino spilled beer onto the lap of a German soldier. The soldier turned to him with a look of absolute anger. "You little shit!" he grabbed Lovi by the collar. Feliciano held back his tears and pretended as if nothing was happening.

"I'll teach you a lesson!" the soldier raised his hand. Lovino closed his eyes and prepared for the stinging pain he would receive in his face.

"Entschuldigung!" Ludwig stood up. "I will take care of my own servant. Lovino! Wait for me in the basement." The Italian nodded and ran out of the room. The Trio looked to Ludwig worriedly. Feli finished pouring beer into the last soldier's, Steinway's, mug. Feli shivered as Steinway gave him his rat grin.

"You know, Ludwig," Steinway took a sip of his beer. "This one you got over here (pointing to Feliciano) is pretty good. The other one, huh, I don't know what you're gonna do with him. Well done," he added to Feli. He mumbled a quiet "thank you" and went back into the kitchen. Feli set the beer down on the counter and put his face in his hands. _Oh, Ludwig, please take care of Lovi._

* * *

><p>Lovino felt a bead of cold sweat run down his neck. A figure was walking down the creaky, wooden steps. The basement was so damn creepy! One light hung limply from the ceiling, only making the center of the room bright. The figure was walking closer, but Lovino couldn't see, even though he knew exactly who it was.<p>

"Lovino," the voice made the Italian jump. The tall German stepped into the light. His arms were crossed around his chest and he was wearing a stern demeanor.

"I-I-I," Lovi stuttered, tears streaming down his cheeks. Ludwig put his gloved hands up. "Lovino, don't worry. I'm not going to punish you," the German whispered.

Lovino sniffed. "You're…you're not?"

"No. But, we have to make it sound like you're being beaten." Lovino tilted his head to the side. _Just like his brother, just not as cute,_ Ludwig thought to himself. Ludwig went into one of the dark corners of the basement and came back with a large, cylinder-shaped object. "This," Ludwig spoke, "Is a punching bag. I will hit it and you have to make sounds like you're in pain. We can't have them being suspicious." Lovino smiled a genuine smile. It wasn't a smirk, it wasn't fake; it was a valid smile of joy.

Back upstairs, the soldiers were having drunken conversations. Every soldier, but Steinway. He was instead staring intently at the basement door. A loud _thud_ broke the collection of laughter followed by a yelp. The soldiers looked at the basement door and listened to the thuds and cries of pain from below. Wicked smiles grew on their faces followed by screeches of laughter. Antonio, Gilbert, and Francis looked down at their laps and remained silent. In the next room, Feliciano felt an awful mixture of sadness and anger. Sadness because he thought that Ludwig was really beating Lovino. _B-but he can't really be doing it, right?_ When he heard the laughter of the Nazis, his blood turned hot and he bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. He heard them yell things like "go Ludwig!" and "yeah teach that idiot a lesson!" _Those fucking bastards! I bet Mr. FuckFace is laughing the hardest! _Feliciano was indeed right about that last statement.

Back in the basement, Ludwig stopped hitting the punching bag and Lovino stopped making fake noises of pain. Ludwig threw the bag back to its original corner and smiled at Lovino. He returned a small grin. Lovino looked at his feet and muttered a very quiet "thank you."

"Don't thank me. Now, stay down here or else they'll wonder why there aren't any bruises or blood. Okay?"

Lovino nodded and watched the sergeant go back upstairs. _Maybe,_ Lovino thought, _just maybe that potato bastard really isn't bad after all._

All eyes were on Ludwig as he came through the basement door. "I'm leaving him down there," Ludwig sat back down in his seat. "To starve for a little while."

The soldiers cheered. "Nice one, sir!" the soldier who Lovino spilled the beer on patted him on the back. He could feel the eyes of his older brother and friends on him. He turned to them, winked, and turned his head back. They weren't exactly sure what happened, but were relieved. A soldier raised his mug, "A toast," the drunk yelled, "To Sergeant Beilschmidt for beatin' that faggot!" Ludwig forced his lips into a smile and for laughter to emit from his throat. He took a long gulp of his beer to calm his anger. In reality, he wanted to rip that soldier's head off his body. Ludwig hated that word. He thought there was absolutely no need for it. While it was true he had to act as if he hated gays, he would never use that disgusting word. Anger filled his being, but it was washed away with anxiety. The old fear came back: what if they found out he was gay? He finished his mug of beer and felt a little tipsy.

"You alright, Beilschmidt?" Steinway, who was even drunker, looked at him with unfocused eyes.

"Jawohl," Ludwig hiccupped.

Feliciano silently entered the room and squeezed by a group of drunks soldiers. He needed to know what happened to his brother. He was now standing next to Ludwig, who was turned the other way in a conversation with Steinway. Steinway's snake-like eyes narrowed on Feli. "Ja? What do you want?"

Ludwig turned around to see who was spoken to so rudely. Oh, Feliciano. "Ahh, I was just going to call for you," Ludwig got up. Feli took a small step back. Right now, Ludwig wasn't his lover, his boyfriend, or his friend; he was Sergeant Beilschmidt. A drunken Sergeant Beilschmidt, at that. Ludwig leaned down so his mouth was at level with the Italian's ear. He shivered at the sensation of Ludwig's hot breath and the smell of alcohol.

"You're brother his fine. Wait for me in the kitchen."

Feliciano kept his happiness locked inside and simply nodded. He calmly walked through the crowded room and into the kitchen Steinway was looking at Ludwig, puzzled. "I just told him that nothing will be needed." Steinway, drunk and goofy, nodded and started laughing about absolutely nothing.

Feliciano went into the kitchen and started jumping around. He knew Ludwig wouldn't hurt his brother! He was right! He was so silly to have thought otherwise! He giggled and sat in one of the kitchen chairs, obediently waiting for Ludwig. At 7:13, the German stumbled into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"Someone's had too much to drink," Feli smirked.<p>

"Huh?" Ludwig looked around the kitchen dumbly. "Oh, Feli. Hi."

"Hello, Ludwig," he giggled behind his hand.

Ludwig somehow made his way over to the chair next to Feliciano and sat down. "They all left. Your brother," he started, "Is absolutely fine. I was just hitting a punching bag while he was pretending to scream. I explained everything to my brother and his friends. Antonio was really mad at first…"

Feli gave one of his biggest smiles and tackled Ludwig in a hug. Normally, he would have been able to hold the excited Italian, but in his drunken state he fell off the chair, taking Feliciano down with him. Ludwig hit the floor with an "umph!" and the two laughed at his clumsiness.

"Veh, you're funny when you're drunk!"

"I'm not drunk!" Ludwig pouted like a child.

"Hmmm, sure~"

Gilbert came in the room and stopped walking, scrutinizing them. He then gave his trademark smirk. "You two sure look comfy. Finally getting it in, West?"

"East!" Ludwig struggled to pry the giggling Italian off his chest.

"Kesesesese!" Gilbert laughed and left the room. _What did he even come in here for?_ Ludwig thought as he stood up. "Will he ever grow up?" he muttered to himself.

"Veh, where's Lovino right now?" Feli asked.

"Oh, he came up from the basement a few minutes ago. I think he went to bed."

"Okay. We should go to bed, too, before you fall over." Feli added as Ludwig almost tripped over his own foot.

The couple crawled into bed and snuggled into the covers, embracing. Feli rested his head on Ludwig's chest and listened to his boyfriend's heartbeat gradually slow as he started to fall asleep. "Luddy?" he whispered.

"Hm?"

"Are we safe now? Did Steinway say anything?"

Ludwig's arm tightened around Feliciano. "He said that I have fine servants, except for your brother. I told him that the beating I gave him will remind him to be less idiotic next time. He seemed pleased."

Feliciano purred and closed his eyes. "You're so deceitful."

Ludwig chuckled and closed his eyes again. The Nazis may not have been suspicious of Ludwig or his servants, but that did not mean they were safe. They were far from safety. And deep in their hearts, they knew that very well.

* * *

><p><strong>Yaaaay everything went smoothly! Someone gave me a very good suggestion for another chapter so this story might go up to 15 chapters. Please review~<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Hallo mein lieblings! Just to keep you informed about the whole essay situation in school, I'm finished and my teacher told me that the pastor of our church is going to come in and teach us about gays. I think he wants me and the other kid to read our essays. Arguing with a priest about gay marriage? I'm ready!**

**I'm sad because my birthday is today and my Italy cosplay didn't come yet. Oh well, it'll come soon.**

**Enjoy~!**

* * *

><p>Two weeks had passed since the dinner party. Two agitating, infuriating, frustrating, warm, silly, cheerful, happy weeks. Two weeks of Antonio and Francis not leaving. Two weeks of Antonio trying to cuddle with Lovino. Two weeks of Lovino cursing at him. Two weeks of Francis and Gilbert getting wasted. Two weeks of Feliciano and Ludwig's relationship growing stronger. Since the night of the dinner, Steinway had not been giving Ludwig suspicious looks. In fact, he was back to his normal, asshole-ish self. Ludwig didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.<p>

In those two weeks, something really bad happened. When Ludwig went to work one day, he noticed that a new group of prisoners were stationed at Feli's old work yard. They were all new; no one from before was present. Ludwig was confused, so he went to Steinway. He was the one who kept track of those kinds of things. "Oh," he said absentmindedly. "That group was weak. I had them exterminated." Ludwig hid his anger and just nodded. As he was walking back to his post, it hit him. Feliciano's friend, Poldek, was in that group. _Oh no,_ he shook his head, _how will I tell Feli?_ He thought about the situation as he pretended to work. He then came to the conclusion that he won't tell Feli unless he asked. Plain and simple.

Well, eventually that day came. Feliciano and Ludwig were eating dinner together when the question was asked. "Veh~ Ludwig?" The blonde looked up. "Do you still see Poldek?" Feliciano may not have had a great skill for sensing the mood, but he could always tell when something was wrong. It was always in a person's eyes. Ludwig's eyes had guilt.

"Ludwig, what happened?" Feli became very concerned. Ludwig opened his mouth, but closed it again. He looked at his lover sympathetically. "Feli," he started softly. "Poldek and his entire group are…gone."

Amber eyes became glassy. "Gone? Gone? Why?"

Ludwig moved his arm across the table to hold his boyfriend's hand. "Steinway said his group was too weak, so they were exterminated."

Feli thought his hatred for Steinway wouldn't grow, that it was impossible. But he was proven wrong. Very wrong. Feliciano was silently crying. No. Not Poldek! He always tried to keep high spirits in the camp, and now he was gone! "Why?" Feli whimpered. "Damn it, why?" His sorrow grew and he cried harder.

"I don't know," Ludwig kissed his hand. He hardly knew the Jewish man, but he felt very sorry. After a few minutes, Feli's tears ceased. They sat in silence with their hands intertwined.

"Ludwig," Feli spoke quietly. "I've always wondered, what does being 'exterminated' mean? I would hear it all the time but no one ever told me…"

This was the _last_ subject Ludwig wanted to talk about with a prisoner. He wasn't allowed to tell anyone what the Nazis did, but Feli himself was a prisoner. He obviously knew the Nazis were disgusting pigs. Besides, they were already risking their lives by being together in the first place. "It means," Ludwig spoke just as quietly. "That they got gassed." Feli tilted his head to the side. Recognizing the gesture, Ludwig clarified for his confused boyfriend. "That means they get a group or prisoners and send them to a large room. They pick out whoever they deem unhealthy or unable to work. Remember when you had to run around and be examined?"

Feliciano nodded. Of course he remembered. That day or humiliation. Of running around in the freezing cold stark naked. That was the day he came home with Ludwig. He could never forget that life saving day.

"Well," Ludwig went on, holding Feli's hand a little tighter. "That was a selection. They wrote your name down in the unhealthy section. You would have gone with them to the chambers."

"Chambers?" Feli's eyes widened and filled with fresh tears. Ludwig nodded grimly. He never liked to think about that day. Sure, he saved Feli that day, but what if he showed up a minute too late?

"Those chambers are where the gas is. They fool prisoners by telling them it's a shower. The prisoners get naked and go into the room. Then, gas fills the room from an opening in the roof."

"And they suffocate?" Feliciano was near hysterics.

"Ja, they suffocate." Ludwig sighed deeply and stood up from the table and stood next to the now sobbing mess. Feliciano jumped up and looped his arms around Ludwig's neck, burying his face in the German's shoulder. Ludwig lifted the Italian so his legs were wrapped around his waist. He held Feliciano like a child and rubbed circles into his back.

"Oh, Ludwig," he sobbed. "That happened to Poldek! How could they do something like that?"

"I don't know, mein liebe," Ludwig whispered honestly into his ear. He remembered when he first found out about eh gas chambers. Even back then, he felt unsettled and disturbed. He carried Feli into the vacant living room and sat on the couch.

"Ludwig," Feli gripped his shirt. "That was almost me!"

Ludwig suppressed a shudder. The mere thought was bad enough, but hearing it come from Feliciano was even worse. "I was inches away from death! I really do owe you my life." Feli lifted his head from Ludwig's shoulder to look into the two azure gems. Feeling tears coming on, Ludwig pushed Feli's head back down on his shoulder and hugged him even tighter.

"I know, Feliciano," his voice shook. "I know."

That was about a week and a half ago. Feliciano spent a few days mourning the death of his Jewish friend, but went back to his cheery self in a few days. But it didn't leave Ludwig's mind. He looked up at the chimneys of the camp, watching white pour from its opening. _That was almost me!_ He abruptly looked down and started walking away. What would his life be now without Feliciano? He could hardly imagine it. He was so engulfed in thought that he did not notice the commotion going on around him. That is, until someone bumped into him. It was a prisoner…with an axe? "Shit!" he yelped and jumped back. He tried to detach his shotgun from the strap on his back. This task proved to be very difficult with an insane prisoner swinging an axe near your face. He twisted his body to the side, nearly escaping the sharp blade. He finally removed his gun and shot the prisoner right in the stomach. The prisoner choked and coughed and collapsed. He leaned down. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "You are very brave." The look of bafflement on the prisoner's face was priceless. It made Ludwig smirk. He looked up and realized that there were multiple prisoners swinging makeshift weapons at S.S. officers. A revolt? Well, he needed to help! It seemed like the prisoners completely caught the officers off guard. Like Ludwig, they were struggling to get a hold of their guns.

This was the perfect opportunity. He looked around for some sort of inspiration. He spotted the barbed-wire fence. He ran into a nearby cabin and shouted, "Achtung!" The prisoners gave their undivided attention. Ludwig lowered his voice, "There's a revolt going on out there. Go! Try to escape!" The prisoners looked at him like he was speaking an alien language. They stared with their jaws on the floor and confused eyes. "What are you waiting for?" he said louder. "GO!" The prisoners scampered and ran out of the cabin.

"It's probably a trap," he heard one of the prisoners say. Ludwig walked outside to a scene of mayhem. Soldiers were still trying to wield off the offending prisoners while others were trying to climb the fences (which resulted in electrocution). He went over to the prisoners at the fence. "Try to dig under," he whispered. A prisoner looked at Ludwig with distrust. "Why are you helping us?" he asked. You can't blame the man for being wary.

"Let's just say that I'm like you," Ludwig began to dig a hole at the bottom of the fence. "Just leave it at that. Come on, dig!" The prisoners obliged and dug a deep hole in under a minute. Since they were so thin, the hole really didn't need to be that big for them to fit. They got on their stomachs and wriggled their way under the fence. The first prisoners to get on the other side of the fence looked around in utter disbelief. "I'm on the other side?" one of them stared at Ludwig.

"Run!" Ludwig shouted. The escaped prisoners nodded and ran as fast as their damaged bodies allowed. Ludwig then hurried away from the area. He didn't want to be caught helping the prisoners. He ran back to the spot where he was attacked by the prisoner with the axe. The prisoner was still in the same spot, dead. Poor guy. There was a pool of crimson around his torso. Ludwig hit the ground when he heard a loud bag. He lifted his head from the dirt and saw a ton of smoke coming from the north of the camp. Many people, prisoners and soldiers, were running. Ludwig pushed himself up and jumped back on his feet. What the fuck was happening? He ran with the others and caught up with his fellow soldiers.

"Was ist los?" he screamed over the uproar.

"They blew it up!" someone shouted back.

He didn't have to ask what was blown up. He just kept running until he reached the front gates. He hunched over and rested his hand on his knees. He panted and felt soreness in his legs. He was joined by other Nazis. Steinway did the same as Ludwig and struggled to catch his breath.

"What the hell happened?" Ludwig wheezed.

"It was a… a freaking revolution," Steinway spat through coughs.

"The explosion?" another prisoner asked.

"They blew up one the crematoriums!"

The soldiers gasped and growled in disgust. Ludwig smiled in delight.

"I think some of those swine escaped," Steinway regained his composure. "I saw some running."

"Let's go back in to make sure no one else gets out!" a soldier shouted. They all ran back in the camp. Sure enough, prisoners were trying to craw under the fence.

"Stop!" Steinway shouted and shot as many prisoners as he could. They screamed and made a retreat back to their cabins, some being shot along the way. Ludwig watched running prisoners collapse with a scream as bullets penetrated their flesh. They were so very close to escaping. So close, and yet so far.

Later that night, the soldiers had decided to go out for drinks. Ludwig didn't really want to go, but his soldiers "buddies" kind of forced him. He was sitting at the bar with a mug of beer, drinking his stress away. The bar was pretty small and dark, only lighted by a few lamps here and there. There were mostly women there. Some soldiers were dead drunk. They held onto each other and sang German songs terribly out of tune. Other people in the bar looked annoyed but stayed silent.

"They're acting so childish," Steinway, who was sitting right next to him, remarked. Ludwig nodded and drank another gulp of beer. The soldiers who were not drunk were trying to flirt with some women. Many were successful, actually. Steinway grinned his ratty smile and patted Ludwig on the back. "Why don't you go and try to get some pussy, too?" Ludwig's initial thought was: don't you fucking touch me. Bu then, he inwardly grimaced at Steinway's words. He hated the "p" word. It was vulgar. And frankly, he had no interest in the female anatomy. And even if he did, he wouldn't use that word.

"Eh, I don't think I'm up to it tonight," Ludwig lied.

"Not up for sex?" his revolting grin widened. "What kind of a man are you?"

Ludwig shrugged. "I'm just tired. I'll probably fall asleep during the middle of intercourse."

Steinway laughed. "That's a relief. For a second there, I thought you might have been a fag!" Steinway laughed hysterically.

Ludwig fake laughed. "Ha ha, could you imagine?" He fucking hated that man. _Please, God, if you take him now, no one will miss him,_ he thought as he finished his mug of beer.

Steinway took another shot and exhaled loudly. "What a day," he shook his head. "To think those things were actually smart enough to set up an operation like that. It boggles my mind."

"Ja, surprising," Ludwig rolled his eyes.

Steinway stretched. "Ah, I should get home soon. My wife is probably waiting for me."

Ludwig turned to the man in disbelief. "You're married?" he tried not to sound so surprised.

"Of course I am," Steinway raised an eyebrow. "I'm a grown man, aren't I? Why wouldn't I be married?"

Ludwig shrugged. "I don't know. You've just never mentioned your wife before."

"Ah, ja. I'm not home too often because of work. How about you, Beilschmidt?"

"What?" Ludwig furrowed his eyebrows.

"Do you have a woman?"

Ludwig averted the man's gaze and looked down at the floor. "Well, I guess you could say that."

"Why the uncertainty?" Steinway took another sip from his newly arrived shot.

"Oh, I don't really know where our relationship is going. Like you, I don't see her too often." Ludwig blushed as he said the word "her." Well, he wasn't telling a complete lie.

"Mmmm, I know whatcha mean," Steinway finished his fourth shot of the night. "That's when you fuck her and show her who's boss. Tell her that she's yours and yours alone."

Ludwig felt extremely sorry for whatever poor, unfortunate soul had to be Corporal Steinway's lover. He would hope that poor woman would escape his clutches. A mental image of Steinway abusing his wife during sex entered his mind. How utterly repulsive. He could picture him treating the poor woman like one of the prisoners. But then again, maybe the woman was an asshole like her spouse. He would never know, and he was okay with that.

"Well," Ludwig rose from the barstool. "I'm going home. I've had enough to rink for tonight."

"Alright. Goodnight, Sergeant." Steinway half waved through drunkenness.

"Goodnight, Corporal."

Ludwig grabbed his coat and walked out into the darkness of the night. The night air was cool and nipped his cheeks. He entered his car and drove home. He hoped Feli wasn't panicking that he didn't come home at his regular time…

"Ludwiiiiggg!" Feliciano sobbed into the German's chest. "I thought something happened to you! Where were you all this time?" Ludwig sighed and pet Feli's hair. Of course the Italian would overreact. However, it was slightly touching. Oh hell, it was adorable. "I was invited out for drinks with the soldiers," he wiped away Feli's tears from his cheeks. "I really didn't want to go, but I kind of had to."

Feli nodded and sniffed. "I see. When you didn't come home I thought something terrible happened! I asked Gilbert if he heard from you and he said you probably fell in a ditch!"

_What a loving brother,_ Ludwig thought bitterly. "No, no. I'm fine. I just had to put up with Steinway for an hour."

"I wouldn't be fine after that," Feli said blankly.

Ludwig chuckled. "Hm, I'm used to it. I found out that he's actually married."

Feliciano looked horrified. "Some poor woman married that scum? What was she thinking?"

"That's what I thought. Maybe she was forced. It seems very probable with Steinway."

"True~"

The couple walked into the living room to find Gilbert playing with Gilbird. "What's up, Westen?" he asked idly.

Ludwig frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh nooo," Gilbert groaned. "It looks like you're about to give a lecture."

"I am," he responded sternly. "Osten, I do not want you telling Feliciano that I fell in a ditch. You know he's sensitive."

Gilbert looked to see Feliciano nodding behind Ludwig. "Alright," he stood up. "Sorry, Feli-welly."

"It's okay, Gilbert," Feli smiled weakly.

The older German brother exited the room with his chick. Ludwig sat down on the couch and unlaced his boots. "How was your day?" Feli asked, snuggling into Ludwig's arm.

"Very long and tiring. Today, some of the prisoners revolted. One came at me with an axe."

Feli gasped. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright!" Ludwig snapped. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Veh, sorry. I just get so worried when you go to work that you might not come back," Feli buried his face into the fabric of Ludwig's shirt. The German blushed. "Hm, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."

"Mmm. What else happened?"

"Well, I helped some prisoners escape by telling them to crawl under the fence."

Feli squeaked in happiness. "Aw, that's so nice!"

"Ja, but then something exploded. It turned out that the prisoners blew up one of the crematoriums."

"Ummm….what's a crematorium?"

Ludwig sighed. "It's the ovens that burn the corpses."

Feliciano gasped in horror. "What? Wait, is that where the chimneys are? Where all the things that looks like snowflakes comes out?"

Ludwig frowned and affirmed it. Feli was silent for a few moments. "I'm glad they blew it up," he said. It was appalling, but not surprising. Feliciano was pretty much past any kind of shock when it came to the Nazis.

"Me too." Ludwig hugged Feliciano and inhaled his scent. He smelled like tomatoes. He decided not to tell Feliciano about the vulgar remarks Steinway made. It would just fill the boy's mind with more hatred. Feli whimpered. Ludwig looked down and questioned his lover's action. He held out his arms. "Can I have a hug? Pleeeeaasseee?" He stuck out his lower lip in a pout. How could anyone resist those puppy dog eyes? Ludwig tried to prevent himself from melting and brought his lover into his arms. Feli smiled in contentment and engrossed himself in the warmth around him. Ludwig's chest was very comfortable.

"I forgot to ask you about your day," Ludwig mumbled in Feliciano's soft hair.

"Oh!" Feli peeped. "Today, Tony kept hugging and touching Lovino and big brother just kept getting madder and madder! The funny thing is that he always gets really red when Antonio's around him, kind of like how red you get when I kiss you." Ludwig blushed deeply. "Si!" Feli pointed at the flushed cheeks. "Just like that!" Ludwig hid his face in his hands. Feliciano giggled.

"I wonder when fratello will admit that he likes Antonio. It's so obvious. I think he has too much pride. Oh yeah!" Feli flailed his arms excitedly. "Francis tries to touch Lovino the way Lovino does and Antonio gets really mad. He said that they're best friends but if he molests big brother that he'll kill him. Cute, isn't it?"

"Ja, adorable," Ludwig grunted.

"Veh, how would you react if Francis or Gilbert tried to touch and kiss me?" Feliciano felt Ludwig's muscles tense. Anger grew on his face. The thought of his brother or that pervert touching his beautiful little Italian was infuriating. He would rip their throats from their bodies.

"I would not be a very happy person," Ludwig responded simply.

"But what would you _do_?" Feli insisted. He always loved the fact that his Luddy was so protective of him. It made him feel so safe and loved!

"Well, I would beat up my brother and probably kill Francis. That's your answer." Feliciano laughed. "I wouldn't be very happy if anyone tried to flirt with you."

"Francis already does," Ludwig scowled at the memories of all the inappropriate touches.

"Yeah, but Francis does that to everyone! You can't take him too seriously."

"Hm, sure."

They sat in pleasant silence. Feliciano thought about the prisoners who revolted. Whether they lived or died, he didn't know, but he would forever admire them. The attempt was futile, but that wasn't the point. They had the courage to stand up to those bullies. He also admired Ludwig. Although, he admired Ludwig for many things. But one of the things he admired most about his lover was the fact that he wasn't like the others. He changed for the better. He wasn't the same man he met about a month ago. He looked at Ludwig, who had fallen asleep. He stared at him adoringly and pressed a gentle kiss to his pale cheek.

"That's gross," he heard someone whisper. He turned his head to see his brother glaring at him. Feliciano laughed. "You do the same thing with Antonio," he whispered. Lovino looked embarrassed and horrified at the same time. Feli giggled into his hand. Poor Lovino; he couldn't come to terms with his feelings. Reminds him a lot of Ludwig...

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><p><strong>Thank you again, Heta-Mexico for the idea for this chapter. Uh-oh...it's almost over! Do any of you have suggestions to lengthen this? My ending is very specific so I can't do certain things, you understand. Please review~<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Today, the pastor came in and talked for _an hour and a __half_ about gay marriage. My friends and I shot questions at him, but we could only say so much. We couldn't raise our hand and say "Father, that's absolutely ridiculous." No. We're restricted. In the end, he basically said that if we allow gays to marry, that we might as well let a man marry his cat. Infuriating.**

**I'm going to read my essay to my class either Friday or Monday. Ugh. Oh, my Italy cosplay arrived in the mail :)**

**Enjoy~**

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><p>"So…they burn them afterwards?" Lovino looked up from cleaning the floor. Feliciano nodded and kneeled down beside his twin. Lovino silently scrubbed the floor for a few moments. He started to move the scrubbing brush faster and faster, his anger climbing. Feli knew the warning signs of when his brother was about to explode, so he scooted away. Sure enough, Lovino threw the brush across the room.<p>

"THOSE BASTARDS!" Lovi yelled.

"Shhh!" Feli looked out the window and touched his finger to his lips.

"I DON'T CARE! THEY'LL PROBABLY KILL US ANYWAY!"

Feliciano tackled Lovino and clamped his hands over his mouth. "You have to keep it down!" he scream-whispered (that's possible and you know it). They struggled on the floor, Lovino thrashing and trying to curse. Feliciano and Lovino were equally weak so this fight went on for a little while before being interrupted by the Gilbert. The albino stared at the fighting Italians with amusement and leaned against the wall. He smirked and watched the little comedy with Gilbird perched upon his head. Gilbird chirped and caught the attention of the servants.

"Veh, sorry Gilbert!" Feli crawled away from his brother.

"You're apologizing to him?" Lovino sat up. "What about me? You tackled me!"

"Because you wouldn't be quiet!" Feli whined.

Gilbert laughed and sat between the two Italians. "I'm not mad. I think it's pretty funny when you two bicker."

"Oh, I know what you mean! Watching you and Luddy fight is so funny!"

"Will you stop calling him that stupid name?" Lovino muttered under his breath.

Gilbert's snarky smirk widened. "Aww, why so sad, Lovino? It's not like you're _jealous_ of Feliciano, are you?"

Feliciano's cheeks pinked and he giggled. Lovino, however, was not amused. Not at all.

"W-what? You b-bastard! Like I would ever like that potato bastard! Pfft! As if!" He crossed his arms and turned his flushed face away. Gilbert just saw this as another opportunity for embarrassment. "Ahh, you're right," he stood up. "You're in love with Antonio, anyway." Feli burst into laughter and rolled over on his belly. Lovino shot up and went after the laughing German. Gilbert saw this coming and began to run around the kitchen. Francis then walked in (naked) and stared at this very odd picture.

"Oh honhon? What do we have here?" he asked the laughing Feliciano.

"Gilbert made fun of big brother by saying he was jealous of Luddy and me! Then, Gilbert said it didn't matter because he's in love with Antonio!"

Francis started to crack up with Feliciano and sat down on the floor with him.

Ludwig opened the door to the kitchen and couldn't find words to describe the scene that was in front of his eyes. Gilbert was cackling as Lovino chased him around the long counter in the center of the room, Feliciano and Francis were laughing on the floor, and Francis was naked; naked and hugging Feliciano. Oh, hell no. "ENOUGH!" he ruined the fun. Lovino growled and stopped chasing Gilbert. Gilbert chuckled and ruffled the younger man's hair. "D'aww, I was just kidding, Lovi." Lovino growled curses and marched off, going right past Ludwig. Frankly, Ludwig didn't care what was going on with his older brother and his servant; he was concerned about his boyfriend being hugged by a naked pervert.

"Will one of you, not Gilbert, please explain what's going on in my house?"

Feli raised his hand. "Ooo! Oooo! I know! Pick me!"

Ludwig sighed and pointed to Feli. "Ja, fine."

Feli made dramatic hand motions. "Okay! So, Gilbert said that Lovino is jealous of you and me. Silly, right? Well, Lovi got really mad but then Gilbert got him madder! He said that it doesn't matter because he's already in love with Tony! So then they started running around and then Francis came in and laughed with us!"

The three started laughing again and Ludwig stood there and stared at Francis. "Okay," he spoke calmly. "Then tell me: why the hell is Francis hugging you naked?"

"Hmm…I don't know."

Francis laughed his typical French laugh and let go of Feli. "Just trying to spread some love!" he blew a kiss to Ludwig. Ludwig grimaced and ordered Francis to get out and go put on clothes. Francis reluctantly left the kitchen followed by Gilbert and Gilbird. Feli giggled again and got up from the floor. He straightened his apron.

"Veh, you get so jealous!"

Ludwig stammered and almost fell when Feli pounced on him with a hug. "Mmm, you're just so cute!"

Ludwig gulped and wriggled out of his boyfriend's embrace. "W-well anyone would get a bit-concerned- when a naked man hugs their boyfriend," he reasoned. He sat down in a chair and rubbed his aching head.

"True. So how was your day?"

He shrugged. "Eh, good as it can be. I didn't see Steinway much and there weren't many random deaths."

"That's good," Feli began to get the ingredients for that night's dinner.

"Oh, Feli, you don't have to cook as much tonight."

Feli set down the food. "Why not?"

Ludwig sighed. "Because when I did see Steinway, he offered that I go out with him and the others. I can't really say no…"

Feliciano frowned. "Aww, so you won't be home tonight again?"

Ludwig shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, libeling."

"Veh, it's alright. When are you going to leave?"

"Ummm," he looked back at the clock. "In half an hour."

"Okay. Then can I get lots of hugs and kisses before you go?" Feliciano folded his hands together and made his eyes even bigger than usual. Come on, that could melt anyone's heart. Feli grinned when he saw Ludwig's cheeks instantly turn scarlet.

"Uh s-sure…"

Feliciano giddily skipped over to Ludwig. He sat down in Ludwig's lap and felt his own cheeks turning warm. He wrapped his arms around Ludwig's neck and rested his head on the larger man's shoulder. He felt the German's muscles tense between his uniform. Strange, Ludwig was still really shy, but they were alone now; he usually let loose around this time. "Are you okay?" Feli asked.

Ludwig nodded. "Ja, just have a really bad headache."

"Awww." Feli lifted his head to look at Ludwig. He looked into his exhausted blue eyes and felt sorry. He jumped from Ludwig's lap and turned his lover around so he was sitting sideways in the chair.

"Feli," the sergeant turned around, "What are you…?" He was cut off when he felt delicate fingers grab his shoulders.

"Making you feel better, silly!"

Ludwig groaned when Feliciano started to give him a massage. Feli smiled at his boyfriend's obvious pleasure and continued the massage. "You work too hard," he whispered into the blonde's ear. "You need a little break."

Gilbert's stomach growled. Food and beer time. He scooped Gilbird into his hand and placed him in his white locks.

"Come on, buddy," he patted the chick's head. "Grub time!"

He strolled down the stairs while humming and dancing down the hallway. He slowed his steps in confusion. _It doesn't smell like any food…_ He walked closer and was about to open the kitchen door when he heard:

"Ohh, Feliciano, right there."

"Veh, sure thing, sweetie!"

Gilbert's jaw dropped and he put his ear to the door. _What the fuck?_ He ran away from the door and charged up the stairs. "ANTONIO! FRANICS! GET OUT HERE!" They barged out their rooms and ran to Gilbert.

"What? What's wrong?" the Spaniard looked around.

"Nothing!" Gilbert smirked. "You have to hear this!"

Before the pair could question what the German meant, they were dragged down the steps and to the kitchen door.

Francis raised and eyebrow. "Gil, what are you-"

"Shh! Listen!"

The Bad Touch Trio leaned against the door and awaited any sounds.

"A-ah! That feels so good," Ludwig moaned.

The friends gasped and had to bite their fingers to prevent laughter from interrupting whatever was going on in there.

"Hehe, you like that?"

"Ohh, ja. You're so good."

The Trio ran around the hallway. Laughter was about to erupt from them any second.

"I never thought Luddy would be at the bottom," Francis whispered.

"I know, right?" Gilbert said a little too loud.

"Agh, hey! What was that?"

"I don't know. I'll go check."

They heard footsteps draw near the door. Shit. Feliciano opened the door with a smile on his face. "Veh, hello!"

They were shocked to see Feliciano act so casually…wait! Ludwig was fully clothed and sitting in a chair.

"Umm…what were you two doing?" Gilbert stepped in the kitchen.

"Oh, Feli was giving me a massage," Ludwig stretched.

"It sounded a lot more than that," Francis whispered. Ludwig crinkled his brows. "What?"

"Weelllll," Gilbert put an arm around his younger brother. "You were all moaning like a whore so we thought you two finally made it to second base."

The shade of red on Ludwig's face was so deep it almost went pass the visible spectrum. He stared at his older brother and friends howling, horrified. Feliciano blushed deeply and looked at his feet uncomfortably.

"N-no," the little Italian spoke quietly. Ludwig felt bad that his lover felt so embarrassed. Well, he had enough of this. He stood up and in a swift movement, had the three older men up against the wall by their necks.

"Shut. The fuck. Up," he growled like a lion. They stopped laughing and stared at the fury in the young German's eyes.

"Uhh, sorry, little bro! He he, just kidding!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes irritably and dropped the three. There was a knock on the front door. Ludwig glared at his brother and walked out the door. Feli purred when Ludwig quickly pet his hair. They peaked out the door to see the visitor. They all growled in unison when they saw Steinway and a group of Nazis.

"That's right; he said he was going out with them," Feli whispered to his friends. They watched Ludwig walk out the door with his Nazi "friends."

"I wonder where they're taking him," Antonio questioned.

Ludwig inwardly groaned when he approached his destination. A strip club. Out of all places they had to drag him to, a strip club. He awkwardly sat in the chair and looked at the woman dancing in front of his face. He chuckled as a memory came to his mind: _Veh, German girls are scary! They're so big and muscley!_

He looked back up at the woman. Honestly, Ludwig would never understand why these women made a career out of exposing their bodies to horny pigs. The woman abruptly stuck her ass in his face and started dancing. Ludwig blushed and tried to sink into his chair. This was so uncomfortable and weird. It was true that this woman was sparking some….movement down there, but he was not turned on. At all. To make matters even worse, all of his fellow soldiers were sweating and panting over the women. He needed to get out of there. He gasped and pushed the woman's ass out of his face. He muttered an "excuse me" over his shoulder and darted to the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him and headed to the sinks. He washed his face out with water. Damn, why was it so hot in there? He put his head against the mirror and closed his eyes. He told himself to calm down. _Just get through this and you can go home to Feli. You can do this._ He nearly shit his pants when someone tapped his shoulder. He gasped loudly and whipped around. Steinway. It was always Steinway. He was a fucking stalker or something.

"Sergeant," Steinway looked over his superior. "Why aren't you out there?"

"Why aren't you?"

Steinway sniggered. "Hm, good point."

This did not satisfy the Nazi, though. He still stared at Ludwig with his arms crossed, almost looking like a father waiting for an explanation for something his child did wrong. Ludwig looked like a kid caught with his hands in the cookie jar **(that happened to me)**. Steinway glowered and his upper lip twitched. His dark eyes stared right into Ludwig's. Ludwig's mind raced. Damn, he needed to come up with some excuse!

"Well?" he grumbled. "You aren't a homo, right _Sergeant,_" he said the last word with a bit of disgust.

Ludwig, remembering for the first time in a while that he had authority, grew angry. "Corporal Steinway," he said through gritted teeth, "I will not have you speaking to me in such a rude manner. Understood?"

Steinway stiffened and he held his arms at his sides. "Yes, sir," he said sincerely.

"Good." Ludwig walked to leave the bathroom. "Oh," he threw over his shoulder. "I am saving all my energy for tonight when I fuck my girl, if you must know. Now if you will excuse me, I think I've kept her waiting long enough."

Ludwig practically zoomed out of the strip club. He didn't want any further questioning or to look at that shit-face. He then realized something: they were his ride. _Schiesse. _He walked home quickly as possible, tired and utterly disgusted.

When he arrived at his house, he saw someone sitting on his front lawn. Wait, is that Feli? He walked closer and found his lover seated in the soft grass with a stray cat in his hands. What the hell was that idiot doing?

"Feliciano!"

Feli yelped and the cat ran away. "Ludwiiig! You made the kitty go away!" he flailed his arms. Ludwig hastily picked Feli up and brought him inside, ignoring the complaints coming from the Italian. He set Feliciano down in the foyer of their home.

"Ludwig!" he stomped his foot. "What was that all about?"

"Listen to me," the tone of Ludwig's voice made Feliciano flinch. "You cannot go outside alone." He firmly grabbed Feli's wrist and squeezed it. Feliciano gasped at the sudden pain. Anger flickered in Ludwig's orbs of ice. "Do you know how dangerous it is if a soldier walks by and finds you just sitting alone in your uniform? You'll be brought right back to the camp! Do you hear me?"

Ludwig roughly released Feliciano's wrist from his grasp. Feli sniffed back his tears. Sometimes he forgot how strong Ludwig really was. He saw those muscles everyday, but they were never used against him. He had also seen Ludwig yell before, but it was never directed towards him. Well, not like this. "S-si. I'm sorry…Please don't be angry." He rubbed his throbbing wrist and cried into his sleeve. Ludwig sighed. He didn't mean to make Feliciano upset. He hugged him and gently lifted Feli's wrist to his mouth. Feli watched as the anger drifted away from Ludwig's eyes and was replaced with regret. Soft lips were touched to his wrist.

"I'm sorry," Ludwig hugged Feliciano. "I didn't mean to hurt you, or make you cry." Feli's tears stopped and he hugged his boyfriend back. "I just fear," Ludwig continued in a low voice, "That I'll come home one day to find you missing. I just don't want to loose you…"

Feli smiled. "I understand. It's okay. I'll be good next time." He pulled away and pecked Ludwig on the lips. Ludwig, deciding it was a while since they had their last make out session, slid his tongue between his lips to lick his lover's. Feli smiled and allowed entrance. Ludwig cradled Feliciano's head with care and ran his fingers through the silky locks.

"Get it IN, Westen!"

Ludwig slowly pulled away from Feli took look at his older brother censoriously. Gilbert was eating a piece of cake with his hands, wearing nothing but his underwear. Feliciano blushed and averted his eyes. Looking at someone who looked extremely similar to your lover in their underwear isn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. He saw Ludwig in his boxers before (accidentally), but still.

"East. Get out."

Gilbert shrugged and took another bite of cake, getting crumbs everywhere. Feliciano hurriedly grabbed a dust pan and brush from the supply closet near the front door and began to clean up.

"Please, Feli," Ludwig put a hand on his shoulder. "That won't be necessary. Gilbert can clean up his own mess."

Gilbert rolled his eyes and kneeled down. "Fiiiinnneee."

Feli stood up and grabbed Ludwig's hand. "Can we kiss again?" his eyes shone with excitement. Ludwig blushed at his brother's snicker and nodded. Feli leaned in and puckered his lips.

"But," Ludwig put a finger up to Feli's lips.

"Veh?" Feli tilted his head to the side. _Why does he always have to do that when he's confused, _Ludwig wondered. "Let's go upstairs away from a certain _person_ in our presence."

"Awwww yeah! GET. IT. IN!" Gilbert whooped.

Feliciano giggled as Ludwig's ever-apparent blush grew deeper and was led upstairs. They decided to take their showers and get ready for bed. When Feli entered the bedroom he shared with Ludwig, he found his boyfriend in his usual tank top and boxers, reading a book and wearing his reading glasses. Feli grinned. He loved when he wore those glasses. He pranced over to the bed and climbed under the covers.

"Aren't you tired?" Feli asked through a yawn.

"Eh, not really. I want to read for a little to take my mind off things."

Feli sat up and propped his chin on his folded arms. "Hm? What's bothering you?"

"The bastards took me to a strip club," Ludwig groaned.

"Ohhh, I've been to one of those."

Ludwig blinked and turned to Feli. "Really?"

"Yeah. Big brother took me to one. It was really weird and uncomfortable."

"Ja. I had to go to the bathroom because I was getting so sick of it. And guess who met me there?"

Feliciano's honey eyes darkened. "Steinway?" he spat.

"Mmmhmmm," Ludwig set down his book and removed his glasses (much to Feliciano's displeasure). "He questioned why I wasn't there watching the whores. I told him off that he shouldn't address his superior in such a way. I then said I was going home to fuck my girl and left."

"There's no girl, right?" Feli looked worried.

"No!"

"Oh. Good."

Ludwig sighed and shook his head. "You're so lucky you're cute."

"Yay!" Feli attacked Ludwig's broad chest in a hug. "You're cute, too!"

Ludwig's fair cheeks pinked. "I am not."

"Yes, you are!" Feliciano clapped his hands together and sat on his knees. _No,_ Ludwig thought, _he's not going to start listing stuff…_

"Firstly," Feliciano crushed Ludwig's hopes. "Your skin is really soft! It's like a baby's butt!"

Ludwig stuttered but was silenced by another "cute factor."

"You allllwaaaayyys blush which is adorable! Everything about your shyness makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!"

Ludwig hid his hands in his face to shield his burning cheeks. This could not get any worse!

"And if you're frustrated about something," Feli went on without any shame whatsoever. "You bite your bottom lip or rub your temples. Ooo! And when you sleep you cuddle and your lip twitches! And sometimes you talk in your sleep. Veh, you say my name a lot."

Ludwig sank lower and lower into the bed and the temperature in his face grew. "Please," he mumbled, "Stop talking."

"Okaaaay," Feli giggled. "Now, what do you like about me?"

Ludwig spread his fingers so he could see him. "What I like about you?"

"Yes! I just gave you a list so now you say one!"

As embarrassing as the entire idea was, he knew his boyfriend would be upset if he refused. Removing his hands from his face, he started. "Okay, I'll do it." He looked into Feli's hopeful eyes. Well, here goes nothing. "I love how you always find a reason to smile," Ludwig twiddled his thumbs. "You're always so happy. I love when you tilt your head to the side when you're confused. That's really c-cute…" Feli squeaked. Ludwig cleared his throat. "Uh, ahem, I love how caring you are, like tonight; I had a headache and you gave me a massage. That was really sweet."

Ludwig's shy eyes met his lover's. Feli's usually giddy smile was erased from his face and was replaced by one of pure adoration. The German felt his heart pump faster. "And….Feliciano, you make life worth living. You're my…s-sunshine."

Ludwig was surprised to see Feliciano crying. "What?" he grew concerned.

"That was soo sweet!" Feli sobbed and brought Ludwig into a passionate kiss. Ludwig closed his eyes and kissed back. God, Feli loved him so much. Wait, did he say love? They've only known each other for a month and a half! Feliciano couldn't love Ludwig; it was all too soon. Their kiss broke and Feliciano stared into sapphire. He wanted to say the words on his mind, but put on a smile and said, "Let's get some sleep, sweetie pie."

Ludwig nodded and hugged Feli so the smaller man's back was facing him. Feli stared out into the night sky through the window. As he heard Ludwig begin to snore, he saw a shooting star. He closed his eyes and made a wish:

_I wish Ludwig and I could love each other forever and ever, and that we'll always be together._

Poor Feliciano. He should have known by now that you must be very careful for what you wish for.

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><p><strong>Ohhh, the corny-ness. I really pulled this chapter out of my ass. It took me two days to write because I had no idea what to do. Guys...I really think this is it. If I don't get any suggestions that will fit with my ending, I'll start writing the final chapters. Nooo!<strong>

**Please review~**


	14. Chapter 14

**My God guys, this is it! I can't believe this story is coming to a close. I fucking love writing this story. Small update: I haven't read my essay in school yet but I wear a gay pride bracelet in class. Lol. The girls in my class gave me a high-five.** **Anyway, let's begin.**

**The Finale Part 1/3. (I think there will be 3...)**

**Enjoy~**

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><p>He always loved his country. Since he was a small child, he loved Germany's history and culture. He would spend hours in history books and drawing German flags. It made his father proud, but his mother worried. He would listen to the endless arguments his parents would engage in, which were mostly about him. He would often wonder why his mother looked so forlorn after the arguments.<p>

As a student he excelled in school. He got the highest grades and always raised his hand in class. He joined every sports team and was great at it. You would think a kid like that with good grades, relatively good looks, and captain of every sports team would have a lot of girls fawning over him. But he didn't. Girls stayed away from him; some were even afraid of him. Why? It's simple; he was fucking scary. Whenever they would see him playing on his street, he would always be experimenting with fire or trying to abuse animals. The children's parents told them to stay away from him; those were two signs of a killer. And how right their parents were! They even told the boy's parents about his actions. Again, his mother was worried but his father felt differently. So, nothing was done.

When the boy became a teenager, he wanted to join the army. His father was thrilled and agreed right away. His mother just kept her mouth shut. He didn't care, though. If that bitch didn't approve, then so be it. He wanted to serve his country. He wound up fighting in the Great War, later known as World War I. He fought hard against the Allies, shooting everyone in sight. Then, the unthinkable happened; he got shot. It wasn't a serious wound. He was shot in the leg. All he needed were a few stitches and plenty of rest and the wound would heal in no time. He grew awfully bitter in that hospital bed. He felt so damn useless. He and other patients and staff members of the hospital were gathered around a small radio. It was there he learned of Germany's crushing defeat. Germany would have to pay a crazy amount of money to the Allies, mainly France. From that day, he hated every other country except his own. He wanted to see the day in which Germany would rule the world. Then, his savior arrived.

He heard news of Hitler and how he promised Deutschland's rise to victory. He listened to his rants with great enthusiasm, quickly falling under the man's spell. He firmly believed that Germans were superior to everyone else. He always believed that. And when Hitler told everyone that the Jews were to blame, well he fell right for it. After all, he never liked those people anyway (Jewish people weren't liked all around Europe, not just Germany). He wanted-no- _needed _to help his leader. Just joining the Nazi Party wasn't enough. A few years later, one year prior to World War II, he became a member of the Schutzstaffel, otherwise known as the SS, Hitler's elite force. He was promoted to Corporal and sent to Auschwitz. He met a tall, young man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He made a self-note about how much the man looked like Hitler's vision for a perfect, German world. The man smiled, "Hallo, Korporal Steinway. Mein Name ist Feldwebel Ludwig Beilschmidt. Erfreut, Sie kennenzulernen." He smiled and shook the sergeant's hand. His job began. He performed above and beyond all expectations. He loved the satisfaction of seeing the fear in the prisoners' eyes. It made him feel so powerful.

Then, that fateful day came. He was walking towards the work yard he had to watch next and saw Ludwig standing there. He saw a prisoner with red hair and a crazy curl drop a bag of bricks. That clumsy scum. He smiled as Ludwig walked over to the prisoner, surely to punish him. He didn't. Instead, the prisoner looked happy! What the hell? He called Ludwig over and asked what he saw. Ludwig reassured him. He would keep his eye on the sergeant. You don't just let a prisoner off the hook with a warning. He noticed how Ludwig would randomly disappear during the day and then come out of the music building. Something weird was going on around here. He knew it had to do with that Italian prisoner. He did not like it. Not one bit.

Then there was the day when Ludwig scolded him for beating that prisoner too harshly. Something was definitely wrong. But then, his suspicions escalated. Ludwig chose that Italian out of the crowd to come "work" for him. He needed to see what was going on in that house. That was when he decided to invite himself and other soldiers to Ludwig's house for the little dinner party. Ludwig seemed very strict with his servants, and there was no denying that he beat the shit out of the other Italian he had. It lowered his guard a tad. Well, it did until the incident at the strip club. He watched the sergeant grow extremely uncomfortable and almost run to the lavatory. He needed to follow him. He wanted to catch him red-handed. Underneath that stoic mask Ludwig kept, Steinway could see he was nervous when asked why he wasn't out there. Nervousness turned into anger in a flash. Steinway would admit; Sergeant Beilschmidt was frightening when he was angry. Something was going on between that Italian and German. He vowed he would find out what.

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><p>Now, a few days later, Ludwig was off from work and had to restock on groceries. It took a lot of supplies to support six people (Antonio and Francis were apparently staying indefinitely). He left that morning with a kiss from Feliciano. "Come back soon, Luddy!" he chirped. Ludwig smiled. Feliciano could make anyone feel happy.<p>

Feliciano was seated in the grass with a kitty in his lap like a few nights ago. The little kitten kept coming around the house begging for food and affection. Feli was glad to provide both needs for the animal. Feli did what he was told about making sure someone was outside with him. Gilbert was sitting outside on the porch several feet away with a beer in his hand. He burped and looked at Feli. "Why do you like cats so much? Dogs are so much better."

Feli looked appalled. "Kitties are so sweet! They're squishy and fluffy with little paws and a little pink nose!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes and felt the beer start to kick in his mind. He started drinking at 9 in the morning. It was now 2 p.m. His stomach swished with an awful combination of no food and a lot of beer. _Ugh, I don't feel good._ He put a hand to his mouth and ran inside the house, hoping to make it to the bathroom in time. Feliciano was oblivious to his guardian's absence and continued to coddle the brown kitten. The afternoon sun vanished as a large rain cloud passed overhead. Feli looked up. _Aww, I don't want it _to_ rain! _A whistle blew in the distance and scared the kitten. It jumped from Feli's lap and ran towards the black gate surrounding the house.

"Kitty!" Feli whined. He crawled after the kitten and reached through the bars of the gate. No success. He unhooked the hinge to the gate and ran down the street, searching for the cat. He froze when he arrived at the corner. He did not see the kitten. Instead, he saw a group of Jews being yelled at by a group of Nazis. They were surely on their way to the camp, probably evacuated from a ghetto or something. He felt sympathy. Those poor people had no idea what kind of horror they were about to meet. No one could imagine the horror. More than half of those people wouldn't survive the first day. He gasped and realized he wasn't in the front yard anymore. He needed to get back to his house. Wait, why didn't Gilbert stop him? He turned back around and began to jog when-

"Hey!" someone roughly spun him around. "What the hell do you think you're doing so far away from the camp?" A tall man in a Nazi uniform was staring a hole through his skull. "You're coming with us!"

Feliciano stuttered. "N-no! You have it all wrong!" He was pushed into the mob of Jews. He tried to jump up and get out of the crowd. "I work for Sergeant Beilschmidt!" he tried to scream over the commotion. No one heard his voice. "Hey, didn't you hear me?" he tried to scream louder. "I work for Sergeant Ludwig Beilschmidt!" The Nazis laughed and said things like "nonsense" or "you little liar." His throat scratched with pain. Feliciano stopped trying to jump through the crowd. He was stuck: no one believed him and if he were to get out of the crowd, he would be shot. Warm tears flowed down his cheeks as he walked with the mob of Jews. He was so fucking stupid! Why did he have to go after that fucking cat? Ludwig strictly told him to be careful! Yeah, where was Ludwig? Better yet, where was Gilbert? He screamed one last time, "LUDWIG!" Someone yelled at him to shut up. Feli choked and began to cry. He wasn't even aware that his legs were moving. The crowd was moving him along. He looked up at the dark sky. Why did God have to be so cruel?

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Ludwig called as he entered his home. No answer. Hmm, that's weird. Maybe Feliciano was sleeping? He wouldn't be surprised; that kid could sleep through anything. He set large bags of groceries down on the kitchen counter. The house was ominously quiet. Something was telling him to go upstairs. His legs carried him up the steps without him even knowing. He heard gagging. His brows furrowed and he moved toward the bathroom where the sound was the strongest. He opened the door to find Gilbert hunched over the toilet, vomiting. He sighed and shook his head frowningly. "How many times must I tell you to control your drinking?"<p>

Gilbert finished vomiting and flushed the toilet. He wiped his mouth with a nearby towel and glared at his younger brother. "Yeah, no one asked for your opinion."

Ludwig shrugged. "I only speak the truth." He paused. "Hey, Gilbert? Do you know where Feli is? He's not downstairs."

Gilbert looked at his brother. "What? Last time I saw him he was playing with that brown cat on the lawn."

Goosebumps appeared on Ludwig's skin. He asked in a bare whisper, "What?"

Gilbert stood up, now deathly concerned. "Ja, why? Is he not there?"

Ludwig shook his head, eyes growing wide as golf balls. "No…He wasn't outside or downstairs."

Gilbert gulped. All humor was washed away from Gilbert's mind. He knew how serious this situation was. "Okay, okay. Stay calm. Let's search the house. He has to be around here somewhere."

Ludwig nodded and darted down the hallway. He threw his bedroom door open. He hoped Feli was taking a nap in their bed. He wasn't. He went to the next room. The fact that Francis was in the room naked doing jumping jacks didn't affect him. He just ran to the next door. Lovino was in there.

"Yeah? What is it?" Lovino snarled.

Ludwig figured he should at least tell him what was going on. "Feliciano is missing." The words hung around in the air. The words Ludwig feared the most. Lovino just stared at him. He walked towards the German and shoved him out of the way, exiting the room. He went to the steps, "Well? Come on! We have to look for him!" Without a second thought Ludwig ran to him. "I know he's not up here," Lovino said as they walked down. "I've been up here all day. Where was the last place you saw him?"

"My brother saw him," they began to search the living room. "Outside playing with that cat."

Lovino stared at Ludwig from across the room. This whole situation began to sink into Lovi's brain. His brother was missing. He was last seen outside with his uniform on without anyone to watch him. His twin brother that he always loved so dearly.

His legs started to shake. "Ludwig," Lovino used the German's actual name for the first time. Ludwig caught this and his anxiety climbed. Lovino continued, "Do you think he got…?"

Ludwig couldn't answer that question. How could he admit that his lover might have been taken away? God, why did Feliciano have to be so careless? His stomach started to hurt with anxiety. He stood there quietly before Gilbert, Francis, and Antonio came in the room.

"Gilbert told us," Antonio said to Ludwig. "We checked everywhere; the basement, the dining room, the backyard, everywhere. He's not there."

The inevitable truth was finally hitting Ludwig. "So," he spoke quietly, "He's not here…" The three friends nodded. "And," Ludwig voice grew louder. "_You_," he directed at Gilbert, "Were the last one with him, correct?" The total calmness of Ludwig's voice scared the others. Ludwig would always yell when he was angry. Was he beyond fury? Gilbert bit his lip and nodded. "So you left him out there alone?" Gilbert looked down at his feet and nodded. "Gilbert," Ludwig growled. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm so sorry!" Gilbert sobbed. Ludwig blinked in surprise. Gilbert _never_ cried. He only saw him shed a single tear once in his life, and that was when his parents were taken away. Other than that, he claimed to be too awesome to cry and that crying was for girls. "What have I done?" he hid his face in his hands, guilt eating at every fiber of his being.

"Standing here and crying won't do anything!" Francis yelled. "We have to find him!" Gilbert sniffed and nodded. He was right; now was not the time for tears.

"Alright," Ludwig took a deep breath. "Antonio, I want you to stay home and watch Lovino."

"No, I want to come!" Lovino protested. "He's my brother!"

"I don't want you to be taken away, too." Ludwig frowned. He understood the boy's urgency to find his brother, but it was too dangerous.

Lovino sighed and nodded. "You're right." Antonio walked to Lovino's side and put an arm around his shoulders. "It's going to be okay," he whispered into the younger man's ear. Lovino held back his tears and said nothing.

Ludwig, Gilbert, and Francis knocked on every neighbor's door, asking if they saw a small man with reddish-brown hair wearing a striped uniform. They all looked at them curiously and shook their heads. "Useless idiots," Gilbert muttered. They tried the next block, not really hoping for any information. Ludwig pounded on the door of an old man. The man stepped out and smiled. "Yes?"

"Have you seen," Ludwig gasped out, short of breath from running. "A boy with reddish-brown hair in a striped uniform?"

"With a curl to the side?"

Ludwig's heart leaped with hope. "Yes!"

The old man frowned. "He was put into a group of Jews. He kept shouting, 'I work for Sergeant Beilschmidt.' And then he screamed 'Ludwig'. Poor boy. It was right outside my house."

Ludwig felt his heart pop. _No…. _"O-okay," he nearly whispered and walked away from the man's house. The old man was confused, but shrugged it off and shut his door. It wasn't any of his business. Besides, he didn't want to get involved with the Nazis. Gilbert and Francis saw the look on Ludwig's face from afar. Something must have happened. They ran to him.

"Well? Did you find out anything?" Gilbert asked. Francis and Gilbert's frowns deepened when Ludwig looked at them with glassy eyes.

"That old man," Ludwig felt his voice began to crack. "Said he saw him being taken away with a mob of Jews. He said he kept shouting that he worked for me. He screamed my name…"

The two gasped and wrapped their arms around Ludwig. "Oh, brother, I'm so sorry."

"He called for me," Ludwig whispered in his brother's hair. "And I wasn't there to save him." Sadness was replaced with panic. Ludwig abruptly pushed himself from the embrace. They looked at him curiously. "I have to go get him!" Ludwig ran with superhuman speed back to his house and shoved the door open. He grabbed his car keys and jumped back outside. He started his car and drove at an illegal speed limit to the camp. His hands were sweating on the steering wheel. _He's going to be okay,_ he told himself over and over during the entire car ride. It was to the point that he couldn't fool himself. He knew Feliciano was in dire trouble.

* * *

><p>He parked in front of the camp and got out of his car so fast that he almost tripped. He ran to the gates and was stopped by guards. "Hey, who are you?" one of them questioned. Ludwig remembered that he wasn't in his uniform. He was instead wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. "Sergeant Ludwig Beilschmidt. I need to get in there."<p>

"Oh, of course, Sergeant," the other guard said and opened the gate. Ludwig ran in the moment the gate was fully opened. Shit, where was he to begin? The camp was enormous! He saw Steinway a few feet away talking to another soldier. He ran to him, "Corporal!"

Said man turned and raised an eyebrow. "Sergeant? What are you doing here on your day off?"

"It's my servant, Feliciano; he was put into a mob of Jews and taken here." He kept his voice calm as possible, but Steinway knew he was deeply concerned.

"If he was taken here," he started coldly. "Then there is nothing to be done, ja?"

He smirked at the shocked expression on Ludwig's face. "I know the group of Jews you are talking about. They were just sent there," he pointed north. Ludwig's eyes followed his gloved finger. The very blood in his veins froze. He stared at the building. The gas chambers. _No…_

"If you really care about that brat so much," Steinway's smirk grew larger. "Then you might be able to still catch him."

Ludwig barely heard his words. He just ran across the camp. Tears were stinging the corners of his eyes. He couldn't stop to cry. He needed to keep his promise: _You will not die. Not while I'm around._ His heart throbbed at that memory. The day Feliciano was beaten. The day he let Steinway do it. He was a different man now. He needed to save that prisoner. So much happened in a very short amount of time. Ludwig's life was flipped upside-down the day he saw Feliciano smile at him in this camp. He briefly wondered what his life would be like the very next day. Anything could happen. He zoomed down the concrete steps. The soldiers looked at him strangely. "Sergeant?" one asked. "What are you doing here?" Ludwig did not answer. The doors to the chamber were already shut. He shoved the soldiers aside and looked through one of the peepholes (yes, they put peepholes on the chambers so they could watch the victims suffer). He bent down and put his face up to it. It was so hard to see. It was dark and everyone was naked. They were screaming and pounding on the doors and walls, trying to get out. A prisoner ran to the peephole and stared through. Ludwig inhaled sharply as his icy blue met terrified amber. "Feliciano!" he yelled. He saw Feliciano mouth, "Ludwig!"

"Stop the gas!" the German cried. The soldiers were bewildered. Ludwig's eyes narrowed with fire. "Are you deaf? Stop the gas!" The soldiers regained their composure and one of them ran up the steps. The muffled sounds of screams coming from the door were tearing at Ludwig's ears. He looked back through the peephole. Feliciano wasn't there. There were only a few prisoners still standing. _Where is he?_

The soldier came back down. "The gas has been stopped. Open the doors!" Two other soldiers nodded and unlocked the doors. Ludwig ran inside. He coughed as gas filled his nostrils. He put his face in his sleeve and covered his nose. "Here!" a soldier tossed him a gas mask. He hurriedly put the mask around his face. He looked around the room. It was hard to distinguish one body from another. His eyes searched the room. There were so many bodies, and yet only one was important to him. He soon found a lone curl sticking up from the ground. He took off his gas mask to see better. There was still a small amount of gas in the room, but nothing harmful. He ran to the body. He knelt down and pushed dead body after body aside. When he reached the bottom of the pile, there lay a boy on his stomach, healthily skinny and tan. He flipped the body over. Everything in his body stopped. Time stopped. Everything around him was silent. A silence that could drive someone mad. "Feliciano," he whispered. Ludwig's shaking arms enveloped the small body. He rested Feliciano's head on his forearm. His head slumped and Ludwig wheezed. The body was so cold. The other soldiers watched him. They had no idea what was going on, but decided not to interfere. Tears plopped onto Feliciano's bare chest and traveled down his sides. Feliciano's head tilted back so he was facing Ludwig. He had streaks of tears dried on his face. Any pain he once had was erased from his features. Looking so calm with his lips parted like that, he looked like he was just taking another siesta. Ludwig foolishly shook Feliciano with the blind hope of him surviving the toxic gas. "Wake up," he cried childishly. Feliciano's eyes remained closed and his body still limped lifelessly. Ludwig swallowed a painful lump in his throat. Each pump his heart took sent another wave of pain through his body. His head felt hazy. This could not be happening. This had to have been a dream. He would wake up and find Feliciano sleeping beside him. He closed his eyes to make the fantasy more real. He would hug Feliciano and the Italian would wake up and giggle. He would greet him for the morning and comment how cute Ludwig looked with his hair like that. Or he would comment how big Ludwig's muscles were. Or he would just kiss Ludwig and tell him about utter nonsense about his brother and Antonio like he always did. The fantasy felt so real that Ludwig opened his eyes with anticipation. His heart sunk completely when his eyes met Feliciano's dead body. He began to stroke his lover's silky hair one last time. He savored the texture of it beneath his fingers. Feliciano was so beautiful. Every inch of his body was god-like. It reminded Ludwig of an angel. His angel. He brought the body up and hugged it tightly. He cradled Feliciano's head with his right hand and held his torso with his left. He subconsciously found himself rocking the body as if it were a sleeping baby. "Why?" he began to sob into Feliciano's shoulder. "We were supposed to go to America after the war and be happy," his voice completely cracked. His entire body shook with sobs.

"I knew it," a cold voice pulled Ludwig from his cries. He turned away from the body of his former lover. He stared into the eyes of the man he hated the most. "I knew something was going on between you two," Steinway spat. "I knew you're a fucking faggot."

Ludwig wasn't angry. He couldn't be angry anymore. He had no emotions left. "You're right," he stated calmly. "I'm gay. I love this Italian with all my heart. And you took him away from me."

Surrounding soldiers pointed heir guns at him and made noises of disgust. Steinway walked to Ludwig. He roughly tore Feliciano's body from Ludwig and threw the body across the floor. Ludwig crawled to the body. He wanted to stay with Feliciano forever. Steinway grabbed Ludwig by his collar and kicked him in the stomach. Ludwig made no move to fight back. He was kicked in the stomach and head repeatedly, much like what Feliciano had to go through on that day. He stared at Steinway with tear-filled eyes. The violent blows didn't even hurt. Nothing could affect him now. Steinway stopped the beating. "Take him to Block 11!" he yelled to the soldiers. They nodded and lifted him to his feet by his arms. "We'll have the Gestapo decide what punishment is best for this traitor." Steinway spit on Ludwig's face. The soldiers dragged Ludwig out from the gas chamber. He looked back and saw Feliciano for the very last time of his life. His mind was in a haze as he was brought to a large building inside the camp. He didn't care what they would do to him. His best friend, lover, sunshine, his everything was dead. Tears rushed down his cheeks. _I'm so sorry, Feliciano._

* * *

><p><strong>I bet you all hate me now, right? I got so many suggestions for this story with Ludwig and Feliciano running away or something, and this is the reason why I didn't do it. I was so depressed while writing this chapter, I had to listen to intense video game music from <em>Resident Evil, Catherine, <em>and _Silent Hill. _Please review~**


	15. Chapter 15

**I read my essay this week. No one in my class fought me, and the only thing my teacher said was that she thinks the Bible is incorporated into the Constitution. She didn't fight me, even when I mentioned religion in my essay. She said it was extremely well written. Bottom line: I won.**

**I loved getting reviews saying that I made people cry. **

**While I was writing that chapter, I was thinking of the song "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" from RENT. If you wish, listen to that song and re-read that chapter. **

**The Finale Part 2/3**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

><p><em>Previously:<em>

_Feliciano banged on the walls of the chamber. He felt like his lungs were about to explode! People around him were screaming. Some were already dead. He turned and saw blue eyes staring at him through a peephole. Could it be? He ran to the peephole. It was!_

_"Feliciano!" he saw Ludwig mouth._

_"Ludwig!" he screamed back. He did come to save him! He knew he could trust his love. His head felt extremely fuzzy. All strength began to leave his body. He dropped to the floor. He could hear distant screams from his lover. He closed his eyes and smiled. _I'm so sorry. You tried, Ludwig. You tried.

* * *

><p>Everyone back home was getting extremely worried. It had been well over an hour and Ludwig wasn't back yet. He didn't even call with any information. Antonio and Lovino were seated on a large loveseat with their hands intertwined. Lovi forgot about his pride and allowed Tony to cuddle and comfort him. Besides, he desperately needed it. He shed some tears in front of the Spaniard and hugged him like he would never see him again. Antonio held Lovino and held back his own tears. He felt so bad for his little tomato. The fear of where his brother might be must have been crushing. Antonio also felt sorry because, relation to Lovino aside, Feliciano was his friend, too. Gilbert felt like he was about to explode from anxiety. He paced the floor with his hands intertwined behind his back. Feliciano was missing and it was his fault! His heart pumped rapidly. He may have loved Feliciano, but he wasn't his main concern. Where was his little brother? Tears pooled in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. Francis saw this and could only stand up and hug his friend. They all knew something went wrong. Something terribly, tragically wrong.<p>

Ludwig was thrown into a wooden chair in a large, depressing room. Members of the Gestapo were scrutinizing him. Ludwig knew what this building was used for and who ran the place, but he was never in there. Honestly, he thought the inside would look much scarier. Then again, he, a Nazi, was prepared for anything. This building was basically like a court house of the camp. Any prisoner who either tried to escape or stole food or anything was brought here. Prisoners of war and traitors were brought here, too. They were put on trial. Punishments ranged from being starved, hanged, or being shot to death at the infamous Black Wall. Ludwig never imagined he would be in this situation. Well, that statement is a bit obvious, isn't it? A man seated in the center of the room (looking snobby) spoke up. "This is Sergeant Ludwig Beilschmidt, is it not?"

"It is," one of the soldiers who brought him there responded. "He is a disgrace to our kind!"

"A disgrace?" another man raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

The doors of the room opened and Steinway stepped in. "Excuse me, what did I miss?"

"I asked why this Nazi is a disgrace, Corporal."

Steinway almost growled in disgust. "This man," he put his hands behind his back and began to walk around the room like he owned the place. "Is one of the most disgusting beings alive." He paused for an unnecessarily long moment. "He is a homosexual."

The room erupted with sounds of repulsion. "That's not all!" he spoke louder. The room silenced. The Gestapo seemed to lean forward in anticipation. "He brought two male prisoners into his home as his 'servants' and he actually grew feelings for one of them!" Ludwig took a deep breath and tried to block out the insults that were spat at him. "Traitor!" one yelled. Ludwig listened to their jeers with slight amusement. They were the ones who built this death camp, and yet _he _was the awful monstrosity. Very funny.

"This traitor needs to be punished exceedingly!" one stood up. The entire room cheered in agreement. "He should set an example to any member of the Master Race who thinks of betraying our Fatherland."

"Take him to a cell!" another stood up and waved in irritation. "We shall decide what he fate holds later."

The two soldiers that escorted him to the building again picked him up by his arms and dragged him across the room. He was lead through a very depressing hallway consisting only of prisoner cells. He turned his head to see prisoners with their arms hanging out of the bars and sprawled out on the floor. They all had the same broken look on their face. Rusty bars screeched as a cell door was opened. The soldiers threw face-first Ludwig in the cell at the very end of the room and slammed the door shut, locking it. Ludwig slowly lifted his elbows and pushed himself off the floor. He listened to the soldiers march away. He sighed deeply and felt something warm trickle down his lip. He touched the substance and looked at his fingers. Blood. He wiped his nose with his sleeve. Strange, he never noticed how interesting the taste of blood was. It tasted a bit like metal. He felt his forehead start to ache from the impact against the hard cement. He crawled to the corner of the cell and brought his knees to his chest. He folded his arms atop his knees and rested his head against his forearms. Cold tears wet his sleeves. He could frankly care less about what they would do it him. The overwhelming guilt of letting his darling perish ate at his soul. He thought of all the times he and Feliciano spent together. Feliciano was always so loving and sweet. His life. His angel. He loved everything about that Italian, even his clumsiness.

His thoughts then drifted to his brother for the first time. Damn, that's right! He must have been worried sick by now! He wished he could somehow tell him where he was. Not that he was exactly in a peachy situation, but he would at least know his whereabouts. His big brother. They had so many good times. Many bad times, but more good. He began to mull over his childhood with Gilbert.

_Ludwig was building a giant tower with blocks. He poured all the blocks out of a blue bucket. He made the bucket become a hat, pretending it was a helmet. He set the last block of his tower in place and smiled at his work._

"_RAAAAAWWWR!" Ludwig's tower collapsed and a body was thrown onto it._

"_Giilbeeerrrt!" Ludwig whined. "That was my tower!"_

_An eight year-old Gilbert smirked at his four year-old brother's annoyance. "That tower sucked anyway," he justified his actions. Ludwig pouted. Gilbert felt a little sorry, so decided to start a new game. "Hey! Let's build towns in Germany!" Gilbert scooted over to his side of the room. He began to build right away. _

_Ludwig was confused. "Build Germany? But Germany is so big!" _(That's what Italy said.) _Gilbert halted his building. He furrowed his white brows in thought. "I got it! How about I build the east part of Germany and you build the west part? You know, take it in parts?"_

"_Okay!" Ludwig smiled in agreement. _

_Gilbert smiled. "From now on, I'm going to call you 'West.' You can call me 'East' or 'Awesome Me'. Or you know, just my actual name."_

"_Okay, East," Ludwig continued building a little sweet shop he loved to visit. The two brothers worked the entire afternoon._

Ludwig smiled at the old memory. So many years passed, and Gilbert still called him by that nickname. They had a very strange, but unbreakable bond. His mind began to feel a little fuzzy as another memory surfaced.

_It was a warm, summer evening and Ludwig was around ten years-old. He laughed at the sensation of the wind blowing through his blonde locks as he traveled down the street with his bicycle. He made it to the end of his street and made a move to turn around._

"_Hey!"_

_Ludwig turned to the direction of the voice. A group of about 6 boys, all his age, were suddenly surrounding him. He gulped and gripped his handlebars tighter. The leader of the little parade, Viktor, revealed his crooked teeth through a nasty grin. "I like that bike."_

_Ludwig averted his gaze. "Um, thank you," he muttered quietly._

_He felt someone push him off the bike. "Look at him when he's talking to you!" another boy yelled. Ludwig whimpered and Viktor took a seat on the bike. "Ahh, ja," he looked it over. "This is very nice. It's mine now."_

"_B-but," Ludwig rose to his feet. "That's mine!"_

"_Oh yeah?" another boy pushed him back on the ground. "What are you gonna do about it, sissy?" The boys (excluding Viktor) closed in on Ludwig. He cowered and screwed his eyes shut._

"_What the fuck do you think you're doing?"_

_Ludwig opened his eyes to see the boys being lifted off their feet and thrown to the ground. He was shocked to see Viktor off his bike, retreating to his house. Ludwig gasped in delight as scarlet eyes twinkled at his. A pale hand extended in front of his face. Ludwig took it and stood up. "Thanks Gilbert," Ludwig stared in awe at his older brother. Gilbert laughed and ruffled his hair. "No problem, West." Ludwig sat back on his bike and rode slowly so he was next to his brother as they strolled back to their house. "You know," Gilbert turned to his brother. "You have to learn to man up a bit." Ludwig frowned. "I know. They were just so scary."_

"_Scary? Ha! The Awesome Me could beat those twerps any day of the week!" Ludwig bowed his head in embarrassment. "You know what to do to be tough?" Gilbert asked._

_Ludwig perked up. "What is it?"_

"_It's all about the attitude," Gilbert replied smoothly. "You have to intimidate your opponent. You have to give them a look in the eye that will make their blood go cold." Ludwig took the advice in and nodded. "Do you think getting muscles will help, too?"_

_Gilbert shrugged. "I guess, but I've never had to actually fight someone. They fear my awesomeness."_

"_Well, I won't get as lucky. I think I'm going to start working out." Gilbert chuckled. He could picture his ten year-old brother trying to lift a weight. "Whatever work for you," Gilbert said._

Ludwig smiled again. Gilbert may have been one of the biggest pains of the ass on the planet, but he was a great brother. When no one else was around and he would give up a small ounce of his pride, he was very loving and supportive. Another memory filled his mind.

_A tall, muscular teenager stood at a wooden door. He fiddled with the fabric of his Hitler Youth uniform, nervous. He raised a shaky hand to knock on the door. His older brother appeared. "What's up, West?"_

"_Umm, Gilbert. Can I talk to about something serious?"_

_Gilbert's usual smirk went away. "Sure, come in," he opened his bedroom door wider. Ludwig stepped inside and sat down on his brother's un-made bed. Gilbert sat down next to him. "Well, what is it?"_

_Ludwig felt his heart beat about a million times a minute. What if he wasn't going to accept him? "Gilbert," he released an unsteady breath. "I'm…I'm gay."_

_Gilbert stared at him blankly. "Ja, I know."_

_Ludwig's eyes widened. "You know? Since when?"_

"_Since you never liked girls and always stare at boys," he smirked. "Hey man, I'm totally fine with it."_

_Ludwig's heart leaped. "Really?"_

"_Of course. There's nothing wrong with it."_

_Ludwig looked at him skeptically. "But, our Fuhrer tells us that it's wrong. Shouldn't we believe him?"_

_Gilbert shrugged. "Eh, you know how I feel about that guy."_

_Ludwig's icy eyes darkened. "What?"_

_Gilbert grew a little uneasy. "Well, yeah. I don't really agree with him."_

"_How could you go against our leader?" Ludwig demanded. _

_Gilbert again shrugged casually. "Well, you're a perfect example: he and the Nazis say gays are wrong. Are you a bad person? No. They're wrong."_

_Ludwig grew livid. "They're our leaders!" he yelled. Gilbert scooted away and just stared. Ludwig growled and stomped out of his brother's room, not bothering to shut the door behind him. He debated whether or not he should tell his Hitler Youth leader about his brother's dislike of the Fuhrer. It was a crime, after all. He thought for hours and decided against it. Gilbert was still his big brother. His accepting brother. Oh well. He would lose his other family members in a few years, anyway._

Ludwig frowned at that memory. He was so blind back then. He felt sorry for yelling at his brother. He apologized many times for it. Gilbert would always shake his head and tell him it's alright. He didn't know any better. Ludwig heard the door to his cell open, but made no move to pick up his head. He felt a hard kick to the shin.

"Look at me."

Shattered blue eyes stared into merciless brown. Ludwig thought about the difference between Feliciano and Steinway's eyes. Feliciano had a joy filled brown that would always warm his heart. Steinway had eyes that chilled most people to the bone. He had eyes the color of shit.

"I'm just curious," Steinway set a stool down he must have brought with him. Was this entertainment for him? He sat cross-legged and stared at his former superior. "What would make you love a man? It's not natural."

"Just the way you love women," Ludwig's voice croaked, "I love men. Plain and simple."

Steinway's lip twitched and he slapped Ludwig hard across the face. "Bullshit," he muttered. "You must choose to be that way. No one is born that way."

Ludwig felt anger emerge. "Why would I choose to be that way when it puts me in a jail cell?"

Steinway rolled his eyes. "I have no idea how you people work." He took out a cigarette and a box of matches. He lit the cigarette and blew a big puff of smoke in Ludwig's face. Ludwig squinted his eyes and turned his head, resisting his body's command to cough. He always hated cigarettes. He would never understand why someone would want to ingest poison into their lungs. Many people got addicted, but why try in the first place?

Steinway smirked at Ludwig's obvious discomfort and blew more smoke in his face. This time Ludwig coughed. Steinway abruptly rose from his seat and grabbed Ludwig by the collar. "You sicken me," he growled. Ludwig didn't know which was grosser; his breath reeking of tobacco or his yellow teeth rotted from tobacco. Both were pretty disgusting. He threw Ludwig back against the wall. Ludwig's head bashed against the hard cement. He inhaled sharply and clenched his fists. He relaxed his muscles and chuckled faintly. Steinway's eyes narrowed. "And what's so funny?"

Ludwig's eyes were a dark blue and his smirk was frightening. "I find it amusing that I'm that bad guy when you're the one that kills people everyday."

"Tch," Steinway rolled his eyes again. "They're barely people. I'm doing the world a favor while you add more filth."

Ludwig made a low growl in his throat. He felt his blood begin to feel a bit warm. He decided he should ask this question, since he was in deep shit already. "What is so wrong with loving another man?"

Steinway looked appalled. "What's not wrong with it?"

"I don't know, you tell me." That replied earned a smack to the face. Steinway got up and leaned down near Ludwig's face again. "It's sick and unnatural," he whispered.

Ludwig stared at the man straight in the eyes, not at all intimidated. "Can you control whether or not you love a woman?"

Steinway smacked him again. "Don't give me that bullshit!"

Ludwig knew it was pointless to argue with this scum, so he was silent through the next four smacks. Steinway stopped and sat on his stool again, taking another long drag of his cigarette. Ludwig felt blood trickle down his cheek from his temple. When it neared his lips, he licked the red substance. Steinway grimaced. "Disgusting swine. You're almost as bad as your gay-ass little prisoner was."

Say anything about him, he won't care. You could beat and mock him endlessly, he would stay silent. Now, if you say a single word about his little Feli? That's when you've got a problem. Ludwig's hands shook with anger. He dug his nails into one of his wrists to control his temper. "Don't you dare say a word about him," he growled.

Steinway leered. "Or what? He's dead anyway."

Ludwig inhaled a shaky breath through clenched teeth. Steinway again leaned forward and whispered. "D-E-A-D. Dead."

Not being able to bare one more word, Ludwig pounced on the man like a tiger. Steinway yelped and fell off his stool and hit the ground. The two wrestled on the floor for about 4 seconds before Ludwig had him pinned down. Ludwig tilted his head to the side. "What? You're not all big and tough when you don't have your gun?" Steinway struggled to free himself. It was obvious who had more physical strength. Ludwig laughed wickedly at the look of raw fear in the Nazi's eyes. Ludwig bent down so his lips were right next to Steinway's ear. "You pathetic coward. A faggot can beat you up."

Steinway grunted and was able to push Ludwig off his body. Ludwig sprang right back up and noticed Steinway reaching for his gun. He hastily grabbed the stool and threw it directly at Steinway's head. Steinway made a small scream of surprise and pain and dropped the gun. Ludwig dove for the weapon and swiped it from the floor. Steinway threw the stool off his newly injured head and furrowed his brows in pain. His eyes widened when he heard a small _click_. Ludwig was standing over him, looking completely calm, and pointing the gun at him. Steinway got on his knees.

"N-no! Please, don't!"

The smallest of smiles appeared on Ludwig's features. "Hmm, that's funny. I don't take orders from people whom are lower than me."

Ludwig pulled the trigger and it was like everything went in slow motion. The bullet soared through the air. It tore through the skin of Steinway's forehead. The bullet went straight through his brain and fell out the back of his head. Steinway collapsed and his head made a loud _crack _on the floor. Ludwig huffed as the adrenaline rush left his body. He stared at the corpse lying at his feet. His face was frozen with fear. A large pool of blood was spreading around his head. Some blood was even coming out his mouth. "Coward," Ludwig said to himself and spit on the man's face. The man he hated the most, the man that his lover hated the most, the man that killed hundreds of people, was finally dead. He heard rushed footsteps coming down the hall. He inhaled slowly, knowing exactly who it was. He looked up at the ceiling. "He's gone, Feli," he whispered.

He turned to see his cell door opened and about 6 guns pointed at him. A member of the Gestapo stepped forward and stared at the body of Steinway. He shook his head. "We lost great German blood today." He sighed and turned to Ludwig, his eyes immediately darkening. "As for you, we have decided that you will be shot to death. You shall be a reminder to any solder who dares to betray us that the punishment is gruesome." The man was surprised to see that Ludwig's calm expression did not falter.

"May I request one thing?" Ludwig asked.

The Gestapo looked at each other. "Um, what is it?" one asked.

"Can you at least let my brother know what happened to me? He'll be worried."

The Germans looked at each other like "what the fuck".

"As you wish," one shrugged.

Ludwig nodded. "Alright, then. Take me."

"With pleasure," one jabbed the back of his gun into Ludwig's stomach. He bit down on his lower lip to prevent a gasp from escaping his lips. Like before, two soldiers dragged him by his arms.

* * *

><p>At around 8:30 that evening, the phone rang at the Beilschmidt's residence. Gilbert sprang to the phone and grabbed the receiver. "Hallo?" he asked urgently. The entire household looked at him. Gilbert's jaw dropped and he blinked a few times. "W-what? Are you serious?" The others strained their ears trying to listen to the noise coming from the phone. Gilbert's expression changed. "Oh, no! It's just surprising, that's all….Wow, really? Hm, he was an idiot, wasn't he?"<p>

The others looked at each other and back to Gilbert. "Well, thanks for informing me. Ja, heil Hitler. Auf Wiedersehen."

Gilbert hung up the phone. Everyone was expecting some kind of answer to their questions, but none came. Lovino cleared his throat. "Well? Who was it? What did they say?"

The devastated look on Gilbert's face did not ease their worries. He walked to them and sat down on the couch next to Francis. He stared straight ahead, almost like he was in a trance. "Ludwig," he finally spoke at a low volume. "He…They found out about him and Feliciano." Antonio grabbed Lovino's hand and squeezed it. Lovino applied pressure back and he felt tears start to fill his eyes. "They," Gilbert's voice shook. "Decided to punish Ludwig by…" his voice died away. Francis put his arm around his friend.

"By?" Francis asked quietly.

Gilbert buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Tears spilled down all their faces. "They shot him to d-d-death!" Gilbert yelled through sobs.

Everyone, even Lovino, began to cry their eyes out. "His last request was to inform me of his death! He was afraid I'd be worried about him!" Gilbert began to cough from sobbing.

Antonio attempted to wipe his eyes, but fresh tears appeared anyway. "Poor Luddy" he cried.

"I just know Feli's dead, too!" Lovino sobbed. "I just know it!"

Francis sniffed and tried to stop his tears. "They were such good people…"

Gilbert continued to cry. "My brother…My baby brother…Why?"

* * *

><p>Ludwig was outside Block 11 in front of a black wall. Many soldiers were gathered around him, several of them pointing guns at him. A Gestapo was going on and on to the soldiers that this is what happens when you disobey der Fuhrer. The soldiers looked upon him scornfully. All Ludwig could do was stare forlornly. He felt like his mind cracked. He lost the love of his life only a few hours ago. He promised his darling that he would protect him no matter what, and he failed. What could harm him now? The man stopped talking and turned to Ludwig. Ludwig looked up into the grey sky. It may have been his eyes playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn he saw a single ray of sunshine break through the clouds. "Ready!" a voice yelled.<p>

Almost like the light of God. "Aim!"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _I'm ready._

"Fire!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ding-dong, the witch is dead! Please review ~<strong>


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh my God...This is the last chapter! I'm so upset! My freaking heart is pumping some sad blood! Oh, I was playing Grand Theft Auto IV and one of the areas is named "Steinway" and I found it amusing. ^.^ I'm happy 'cause I'm going to an anime convention on Saturday as Italy :D**

**The Finale Part 3/3**

**Enjoy~**

* * *

><p>Ludwig was expecting something. Something like a long, sharp pain. He expected to be thrown to the floor by bullets. He thought the ground of Block 11 would be dyed crimson by his blood. He felt nothing. A brief pain? Nothing. At least some kind of impact? Nothing. He had his eyes closed in anticipation, his heart racing a million miles a minute. Nothing came. He felt really weird. His muscles felt like jelly and everything else in his body felt completely still, even his heart felt still. He couldn't move. Wait a second, he felt like he way laying down on something. Whatever it was, it was pretty itchy. He felt the warmth of sunshine warming his fair skin. Wait, wasn't it cloudy? Curiosity bugging him, he decided to open his eyes. He saw green. <em>What the…?<em> He inhaled and smelled the scent of…_grass?_ His muscles suddenly regained their strength. He felt his heart began to pump. Something really weird was going on around…wherever he was. He blinked and pushed himself off the ground, propping himself up on his knees. He gasped. The place was _so _beautiful. The grass was green as it could be. There were several groups of colorful flowers scattered around the field he found himself in. The sky was a bright pool of blue. A few fluffy clouds were miscellaneously placed in the sky, resembling cotton candy. There were large trees, some with deep, green leaves and others with light, pink flowers. His parted lips turned into a small smile and he felt happiness for the first time in two days. He didn't know where he was, but he liked it! He heard laughter in the distance. He turned his head around to see two small children running and laughing. They ran near him. The clothes they were wearing were very formal. They didn't look like the clothes of his time. One of them, a little girl, giggled and curtseyed. "Welcome," she greeted warmly. Before any questions could be asked, the two children then ran off again. He raised an eyebrow, but thought nothing more of it. He stood up and stretched. He noticed that he was dressed in casual clothes. Not the same ones from before, but something similar to his wardrobe. Time to explore his new surroundings. He walked around the beautiful field. There were so many flowers. There was even his favorite, the blue cornflower. Embarrassingly, he always loved flowers. He soon approached a small town. A cute little town, at that. There was a bridge that connected the field and village, right above a small stream. He noticed some fish jumping from the stream. Every person he had seen so far just smiled and greeted him. It was really strange and somewhat creepy. He decided to ask someone where the hell he was. He walked up to a lady, around her thirties, he suspected. He tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled brightly. She had light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Hello," she beamed.

"Um, hi," he was slightly taken aback by her cheerfulness towards a stranger. "Listen, I'm kind of lost…"

"Oh, you're new here?" her expression grew a bit cheeky.

Ludwig now felt very uncomfortable. "Uh…yes?"

She chuckled. _There is no reason to be chuckling! I'm lost! _Right when Ludwig opened his mouth to say something to her, he heard something he had not heard in months. He heard a violin.

She smiled at his shocked expression. "Go down along the wall," she pointed west. "Just do it," she answered Ludwig's skeptical expression. He nodded and slowly began to walk in the direction of the sound. "I'm Jill, by the way," the girl called after him. He halted his steps and threw a quick "Ludwig" over his shoulder. He had no time to talk to Jill. He needed to find the source of the violin.

* * *

><p>Lovino was devastated; he had a right to be. The initial shock disappeared and was replaced by sadness. He was alone in his room, crying about his brother with a piece of paper clenched in his hands. The piece of paper was one of Feliciano's drawings. It was a beautifully detailed picture of Ludwig and himself. He drew himself and Ludwig holding hands, Ludwig shyly looking away and Feliciano beaming. Feliciano was always gifted in the arts. His drawings and paintings never failed to amaze anyone. The first time Ludwig saw one of his drawings, he just stared in awe. The thing that was most upsetting was that the picture was not complete. Their faces were finished, but their bodies still needed detail and shading. Lovino heard his brother talking about it saying that it would be a gift to Ludwig. Regret filled his mind. Regret for being so mean to Feliciano for all that time. Regret for getting angry and leaving his brother and grandfather. Antonio quietly entered the room. He felt a piece of his heart chip off when he looked at the sobbing mess. He embraced the crying Italian with tears coming from his own eyes. Lovino made no attempt to push away. He just mumbled, "Bastard…hold me tighter."<p>

Antonio nodded. "Of course, mi amor." He tightened his embrace. Lovi allowed himself to give up his pride and bury his head in the older man's chest. He was used to being alone all his life. But, now…now it hurt so much more.

Gilbert was shattered. He spent many hours crying. It went on for so long that he cried himself to sleep. He awoke alone in the living room a couple hours later. He sighed heavily and stood up, his legs shaking. He decided that he would not sleep in his own room that night. He would sleep in Ludwig's. No questions asked. Francis opened his bedroom slightly to see his friend. A ghost floated by and went straight into Ludwig's room. Francis held back his tears and shook his head, knowing his best friend would never be the same again. The first night without his younger brother was so surreal. Gilbert snuggled into Ludwig's spot and inhaled. It smelled like Ludwig's cologne. Last night, Ludwig was sleeping in that very spot. Feliciano was sleeping in the spot beside him. They were both gone. Everything happened so fast. His dear little brother…. He tried to think about the last time he told Ludwig he loved him. Or at least told him how much he appreciated his hard work. He was devastated to find that he could not think of such a time. Why did he have to be such a douche? Gilbert closed his eyes, knowing very well that sleep would not visit him that night.

* * *

><p>Ludwig was still walking and listening to the melodious sounds filling his ears. His legs moved without his command. He was drawn to the sound, very much like he was in the music building of the camp around three months ago. His slow staggers turned into trots. His common sense was clouded with hope. He moved further and further down the long wall that bordered the stream. He saw a dot in the distance. He moved faster. The dot turned into a blob. Faster. The blob turned into a person. He was sprinting now. He stopped a few feet away from the person. Sitting with their legs crossed on the wall was the violinist. The violinist was wearing khaki pants and a brown vest. Judging by the lack of breasts, Ludwig figured it was a boy. The boy's face was covered by a beige hat, but Ludwig could see tufts of reddish-brown hair coming from the sides. Was that…a curl? Any words Ludwig thought about asking died in his throat. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. He just stood in the grass, staring dumbly at the violinist. Soon, the violinist held a long, beautiful, final note. The boy sighed in contentment and set the violin down at his feet, a small smile gracing his features. Sensing a presence, the violinist looked up.<p>

Amber eyes met oceanic. The men just stared at each other for a few very long moments. The pairs of eyes blinked, not believing what they were seeing. The boy hopped off the edge of the wall, taking wobbly steps towards the larger man. Ludwig's heart was hammering in his chest. They were now standing mere inches from each other, just staring. They had no idea what to say or do. The boy stretched his right arm to cup Ludwig's cheek, not believing the other man was really there. Ludwig was still in a state of shock. It just couldn't be! And yet, his brain's resistance began to fade. The feeling of soft skin caressing his face was just too wonderful.

The boy's honey orbs pooled with tears. "Lu…Ludwig?"

The German found his voice. "Feliciano?"

Just like he did many times before when he was upset, Feliciano tackled Ludwig in a bone-crushing hug. Ludwig was here? What the hell happened to him? "Ludwig!" he sobbed into his chest. He held onto Ludwig's shirt, his salty tears wetting the material. No, his Luddy! How the heck did he end up here? Ludwig stared at Feliciano. His arms shook mercilessly, but he forced them to move. He held the small body close to his chest. He felt extremely dizzy and everything was happening in slow motion. Feliciano looked up at him with tears staining his cheeks. _Veh? Why isn't he saying anything?_

Staring into those eyes and hugging Feliciano was too much for Ludwig. No. It just couldn't be happening. This had to be some cruel, sick dream. Feliciano wasn't here with him right now. No, he was going crazy. He would just wake up and find himself in that prison cell. And yet, here he was; holding Feliciano in his arms. He felt a huge lump in his throat that he just couldn't swallow back down. He inhaled sharply to try to prevent tears from falling. The breath was short and very wobbly. Then, it was like a switch went off in his mind.

"Feliciano!" he abruptly buried his face into the Italian's auburn locks. Feliciano gasped at the sudden movement, but closed his eyes and listened to Ludwig's cries. He thought he wouldn't be in Ludwig's arms again for a very long time. He had to say, it was very strange to see Ludwig like this. He heard him cry on that day in which Ludwig told him about his past, but now? He was full-blown sobbing. It was beyond heartbreaking. He savored the feeling of his lover's strong arms wrapped around his back and waist. He felt Ludwig's chest contract with more sobs and his arms tighten around his frame. "How could I let you die?" Ludwig sobbed into his hair. "I f-failed you!" Feliciano frowned. He pulled away from his lover and stared into his watery sapphire gems. "Ludwig, it's not your fault."

Ludwig did not meet his eyes. "Yes, it w-was."

Feliciano put his hands on the sides of Ludwig's head. Ludwig still did not look at him. Feliciano sighed and turned Ludwig's head so he was looking at him. "Ludwig, it was not your fault. You tried to save me. I know you did."

Ludwig let out a shaky breath. "But I couldn't save you…"

"No one could!" Feli removed his hands from Ludwig's face. "It was my own stupidity that got me here! I was the idiot who went after the cat." A long, uncomfortable silence fell upon them. Feliciano felt fresh tears well up in his eyes. "If I only listened to you," Feli whispered and hid his face in his hands. "Why do I have to be so stupid?" Ludwig hugged Feliciano again; still somewhat convinced it was all a dream. "You're not stupid," Ludwig said. "You're just naïve. I like that about you."

Feliciano looked up. "Really?"

"Really." But the truth could not escape their minds. Feliciano was indeed correct. If he had not chased after that kitten, they wouldn't be here. Although, Ludwig still didn't know where he was. He felt like he had to ask. He needed to know. "Feliciano…where are we?"

Feli tilted his head to the side (God, Ludwig thought he would never see that cute gesture again). "Veh? We're in Heaven, silly pants!"

Simply put, Ludwig felt like the biggest moron in existence. "Heaven?"

Feliciano nodded and bit his lower lip. "Ludwig, what happened to you? How did you die in such a short amount of time? I've only been dead for a day."

Ludwig sighed and sat down on the ledge of the wall. Feliciano joined him. Ludwig started his story. "After you…." He couldn't get the word out, so he used the alternative. "Passed on," he almost chocked. "Steinway found out. I was brought to the Gestapo. And there I killed Steinway."

Feliciano smiled. "I know. I heard you say that he was gone."

"Ja…wait. If I just killed someone, how am I here?"

Everything froze. Feliciano and all the people around him were motionless. He looked around and then waved a hand in front of Feliciano's face. _Um, what the fuck is going on?_

"You are here because you were a good man," a deep and powerful voice scared the crap out of him. Ludwig gulped and looked up. "God?"

"You did what you had to do," the voice did not answer his question. "You tried to save Feliciano. You changed and gave up the mind set of the Nazis. You even helped some prisoners to escape. You killed a man who killed hundreds. You're heart was in the right place. I believe you deserve to be here."

As suddenly as the place froze, everything went back to normal. Ludwig mused over what the voice said. He killed a man and was forgiven? And better yet, he wasn't in Hell for loving another man? He had so many questions. But, if this place really was Heaven, he figured he would find out eventually. After all, he would be here for eternity.

"I don't know, that's up to God," Feli's voice disrupted Ludwig's thoughts and brought him back to their previous conversation. "Go on."

Ludwig nodded, deciding not to tell Feli about his very brief conversation with God. "Well, the Gestapo found me with Steinway's body and decided that I would be shot to death." Feli gasped and put his hands over his mouth. "Strangely enough," Ludwig continued. "I didn't feel a thing. I guess it all happened too fast."

Feliciano's lip quivered. "My poor Luddy," he held the German's hand. "My stupidity got you killed."

Ludwig saw the unmistakable look of guilt in Feliciano's eyes. Ludwig shook his head. "It's okay," he squeezed his lover's hand. "Even if I didn't run after you, I wouldn't be able to live without you anyway." Feliciano giggled through tears and went to kiss his lover when- "Uwah!" _Splash. _Feli fell over the edge and landed in the stream below. Ludwig jumped up and looked down. "Feliciano!" he called. His response was a series of giggles. He saw Feli soaking wet in the water and laughing like a little kid. "Don't worry, Ludwig," Feli stood up. "Nothing hurts around here."

Ludwig furrowed his brows. "What?"

"Yeah!" Feli skipped to the wall. "See?" He quickly grabbed Ludwig's hand and pulled him down in the stream. Ludwig made a very undignified yelp and hit the ground with a _thud. _He laid on his back in the cool water as Feliciano stood over him, laughing uncontrollably. Ludwig realized that Feli was right; he felt no pain. Ludwig started to laugh as well. "So you can do anything," Ludwig sat up. "And you won't feel any pain?"

"Correct!" Feli clapped his hands together. "Hey, come on! Let's do something!" Feli climbed up the wall and ran off at hyper speed. Ludwig quickly got up and did the same.

* * *

><p>Without bodies, a proper funeral couldn't really take place. Besides, there was no way a prisoner and traitor would be properly buried. They figured the bodies must have been burned in the crematoriums along with hundreds of other victims. Luckily, Francis was friends with the town's undertaker. Don't ask how. Francis just went out a lot. Leave it at that. He entered a small, dark building with caution. He quietly shut the door behind him and looked around the room. There were coffins everywhere. He brushed off the creepy feeling and cleared his throat. "Uh, hello? Undertaker?"<p>

"Hee hee heee," Francis spun around at the sound of the voice. He saw a large, purple coffin against the wall. He walked towards it with anxiety building up in his chest. The top of the coffin slowly opened, revealing long, black fingernails. Francis sighed. "Undertaker, don't scare me like that." Emerging from the coffin was a man with long, grey hair that covered his eyes. He wore a black hat and black cloak that flowed past his hands. "Ah, what may I do for you today?" he smiled.

Francis sighed. "Two of my friends died, but we don't have the bodies. Do you think you can just make graves for them? I have the money."

The Undertaker frowned. "Hm, two graves without bodies? I suppose so. May I have their names please?" Francis nodded and sat down with the man.

The next day, Francis, Gilbert, Lovino, and Antonio were standing in front of two small graves. Rain poured mercilessly, making the ground wet and muddy. Their hands were intertwined with one another's, never wanting to let go. The two small graves were side by side. One read:

"Here lies Ludwig Beilschmidt; amazing brother, friend, and boyfriend. November 3, 1923- March 3, 1944. Rest in peace."

The second grave read: "Here lies Feliciano Vargas; amazing brother, friend, and boyfriend. March 17, 1926- March 3, 1944. Rest in peace."

Each of them felt like a hand was clasped around their heart, squeezing tighter and tighter. Francis let go of Gilbert's hand and went to the Undertaker. "Thank you," he said quietly. The Undertaker nodded with a small smile on his face. Gilbert sniffed. "Why does it have to rain today to make everything even worse?"

Antonio looked over to him. "You know why it's raining?"

Lovino and Gilbert looked at the Spaniard. He continued with a sad smile, "Because Feliciano and Ludwig are so happy to see each other again that the rain is their tears of joy." That earned more tears from the two. Francis walked back over and grabbed Gilbert's hand again. "Antonio's right," he whispered. "They're happy up there. They are free to love each other endlessly." Gilbert knew his friends were right. They were happy. Maybe it was selfish, but he wanted nothing more than to be able to hug his little brother one more time.

* * *

><p>Ludwig's eyes scanned the large field. He was in the middle of playing hide-and-go-seek with Feliciano. The place was so spacious that the game went on for a few hours. It was probably one of the most childish things he had ever done, but it was undeniably fun. He moved through the field like a tiger searching for its prey. Behind a large tree, he saw a curl fluttering in the cool breeze. That's another thing to be mentioned. The climate was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right. Anyway, he smirked. Ludwig ran to the tree and jumped behind it. "Got you!"<p>

Feliciano yelped and fell onto the grass. "Veh, you scared me!"

Ludwig chuckled. "I know."

Feliciano stomped his foot cutely, but had a smile on his face. Suddenly, a portal opened in thin air, making strange purple a blue lights emerge from it. Ludwig and Feliciano looked at each other and went towards it. They looked through curiously. They were looking at life on Earth, particularly that of their brothers and friends. They saw them standing in a graveyard in the rain. They frowned.

"Probably our graves," said Ludwig. Feliciano nodded but said nothing. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. "Don't worry, Lovino," he said to the portal. "I'm fine."

Lovino sharply halted his steps and looked around. Green eyes looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

Lovino shook his head. "Nothing. I….I just thought I heard something." He walked to Tony and took his hand. "Come on. Let's just go home." Antonio nodded and they walked to their car. The portal disappeared.

Feli shook his head, but no tears came to his eyes. He knew his brother would be okay. He was one of the strongest people he knew. Ludwig was still looking in the spot where the portal had been. "Gilbert looked so…broken." Feli put his arm around Ludwig's shoulders.

"We'll be with them again," Feli said.

Ludwig gave a melancholy smile. "Hmph, we act like that's a good thing that they'll die."

Feliciano shrugged. "Well, it's not like this is a bad place to end up."

"Ja, true." A thought came to Ludwig's mind. "I wonder how Steinway's doing in Hell."

Feliciano gave a devilish smirk. "Hm, I'm sure he's enjoying every minute of eternity."

Ludwig hummed in agreement and put his arm around Feliciano's waist. "Let's walk through the town."

A funny thing about Heaven. You're never too hungry, thirsty, or tired. However, you are still able to eat, drink, and sleep. But for pure pleasure, not survival reasons. Feliciano was a perfect example why these things are there. He loves his pasta, wine, and siestas. It wouldn't be Heaven without pasta, now would it? The pasta-loving Italian was seated in front of a restaurant with his boyfriend. He ordered a big plate of tortellini with red wine as his beverage. Ludwig ordered a plate of wurst and a bottle of beer. The restaurants have every kind of food and beverage, by the way. Ludwig was staring at his beloved, just smiling at the way he was rambling about utter nonsense.

"…And there are kitties here, too! Can we get a kitty? Please, Ludwig? Please?"

"Maybe later," Ludwig replied.

Feli sighed. "Fine~" He finished his pasta with a ton of gravy **(A/N: In my city, Italians call sauce a different word-gravy. I'm well aware this is not true in most places), **all over his face. Ludwig took a napkin and reached over the table to wipe Feli's face. Feli giggled. "Sorry, Luddy."

"Just try not to make a mess next time," he wiped his own mouth.

"Yes, sir!" Feli saluted. Feli's eyes brightened and he started to flail. Ludwig knew this was a sign that Feliciano had something to tell him. "Yes, Feli?"

"Veh! We should go to our house!"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, "Our house?"

"Si!" Feliciano bounced from the table. "Everyone gets a house! Well, if we desire one." He grabbed Ludwig's arm. "Come on!" Ludwig was tugged from the table and being dragged by Feliciano. "Feli," Ludwig looked back. "Don't we have to pay for our food?"

Feliciano giggled and kept skipping down the street. "Silly, there's no money in Heaven."

Ludwig didn't question the response and ran with his companion. They galloped down the streets of the town and passed by many shops and stores Feli commented he wanted to visit later. Since there is no money, you are able to get whatever you please. Not that material things are important, but they are pretty nice. Feliciano led Ludwig to the outskirts of the town. It looked like the field they were in before, but with houses this time. The houses varied in shape and size. Ludwig was shocked to see the house he was led to looked very much like his own. Feli saw Ludwig's confused expression.

"Well, your house was basically Heaven for me," Feli looked down at the ground. "I would miss it so I wanted it up here."

Ludwig smiled and took sweetheart's hand. "Come on. Let's go inside."

Other than a few furniture changes here and there, the house was the same. Ludwig wouldn't have it any other way, though. The laid on their bed and stared into the skylight above their heads. "I've always loved looking at the stars," Feli explained the new addition to the home. Stars started to shine through the evening sky. Feli sighed in contentment and rested his head on Ludwig's broad chest. "Four months ago," Feli started quietly, "Would you ever think you would end up in Heaven with your gay lover?"

Ludwig smirked. "Well, I don't think anyone could predict that outcome."

"Yeah. But, I knew I would die soon enough."

Ludwig put an arm around Feli's waist. "Really?"

He stretched out his arms like a cat. "Yeah," he rolled onto his side from Ludwig's chest. "I knew I wouldn't last very long in there."

Ludwig turned to face Feli. "This place is a lot better than life on Earth, isn't it?"

Feliciano smiled. "It sure is. I never thought I would be able to love you without any persecution."

Love (noun) - an intense feeling of deep affection

(verb) – feeling a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone or something

This simple four-lettered word means a very serious thing. The definition itself may not seem so serious, but it can do anything. It could make a person's life. It could ruin a person's life. Evidently, love ruined the lives of Feliciano Vargas and Ludwig Beilschmidt. And yet, it put them in a better place. It's amazing how emotions can drive us, destroy us. More to the point, this is a word Ludwig never had directed to him by anyone other than a family member. But then again, Feli didn't come out and say he loved him, so why were his cheeks burning so much? Why was his heartbeat ringing in his ears? Why the hell did he feel so sweaty? Feliciano noticed Ludwig's cheeks rapidly turn crimson, so he asked what was wrong.

"Hm? Ah, n-nothing! It's just…did you say…." His hands shook and he had butterflies in his stomach **(That's a weird expression, isn't it?) **He continued, "Did you say l-love?"

Feliciano realized why he was so anxious all of the sudden. That was the first time he ever used that word. He thought about it. Did he really love Ludwig? They only knew each other for 4 months, but so much happened! They went through so much together and always stood by each other's side. He looked into shy, anxious blue eyes. He smiled, knowing his answer. "Yes, Ludwig." He climbed back onto the German's chest. "I love you." For the first time ever, Ludwig pushed his pride aside. He swallowed and stared into warm, amber eyes. "I…I love you too, Feliciano." They didn't know why the tears came, or why they were laughing. Feliciano leaned down and molded his lips with Ludwig's. Ludwig eagerly kissed back, savoring the soft texture of his darling's pink lips.

Blonde eyebrows raised in surprise as Feli's tongue slipped in his mouth without permission. Well, it's not like Ludwig minded. The fight for dominance raged on for much longer than Ludwig expected. Normally, he easily won. This time, it was Feli's turn. Their tongues collided over and over again, resulting in moans coming from the stoic German's throat. Lungs can only go for so long without air, though. They abruptly broke apart, wheezing and gasping for air. Feliciano looked at Ludwig's messy hair and red cheeks. He looked so cute! Feli crawled back on top of Ludwig and snuggled in the crook of his neck. "Hm, that was nice. And we can do it whenever we want!"

Ludwig smiled and embraced his small lover. "Yes. Yes we can."

Feliciano yawned and closed his eyes. The hypnotic sound of Ludwig's heart beat had never been more soothing. Ludwig kissed the top of the auburn locks and closed his eyes, knowing he would never have to leave his darling Feliciano ever again.

* * *

><p>Gilbert tossed and turned in his sleep, his eyes moving under his lids in dreams. He was in a white room. The only thing present was a white table a chair. He walked to the table and sat down. Suddenly, Ludwig appeared before him. He gasped. "Bruder?"<p>

Ludwig smiled. "Hallo, bruder. Wie geht's?"

"Uh, es geht mir gut," he was surprised by the casualness in his brother's voice.

"Hm, that's good. You know, I really appreciate the graves for me and Feli."

Gilbert looked at his brother curiously. "But, you two weren't there…"

Ludwig's smile widened. "Yes, we were."

Gilbert woke up with a start. He looked around the room, wanting to believe his brother was really in the room with him. He lay back down and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Ludwig and Feliciano watched the war end. They saw Hitler's death and Germany's downfall. They saw the remaining prisoners be liberated from the camps. They watched Germany rebuild its economy, people, and trust. They were thrilled to see that after the war was over, Lovino was safe and sound. Lovino and Antonio lived the remainder of their lives together; Lovino constantly insulting Antonio and the Spaniard understanding it was just Lovi's way of showing his love. They lived together in Spain until the day they died, which was of natural causes Feliciano was positively overjoyed to hug his older twin again, and Lovino was even happier. Francis became a fashion designer and worked for a North American trading company. It was there he met his love, a Canadian named Matthew. The couple adopted a baby girl and raised her like their own. It took many years for Gilbert to move on since the death of his little brother. He was working as a bartender where he met his future wife; a green-eyed Hungarian girl. It was with her he would have two daughters and one son. What did he name his son? After telling a very long story to his wife, they both agreed on one name: Ludwig. The happiest of reunions occurred when the German brothers met again. Feliciano and Ludwig made sure their siblings and friends lived a good, productive life. When each arrived in Heaven, the couple greeted the person with open arms and love. Tears of joy were shed, and laughter ensued. To this day, Ludwig has to chase Feliciano because he ran off after a cat. Gilbert still bothers Ludwig about his shyness, which will never go away. Lovino still acts cold towards Antonio, but loving when alone. Francis still touches his lover inappropriately at the wrong times. They all live a love filled eternity in Heaven where there is no discrimination, and you can love anyone without persecution.

* * *

><p><em><strong>The End<strong>_

**I AM SERIOUSLY ABOUT TO CRY! I thank you all SO MUCH who have reviewed/ added this story to their Favorites/ Story Alert/ added me to their Author Alert/ Favorite Author. I still cannot believe how much people liked this story and all the support I got. As a happier note:**

**My friend's reaction to the previous chapter:**

**Friend****: I thought Germany died...**

**Me: He did!**

**Friend: WHAT?**

**Me: Yeah! How was he supposed to survive being surrounded by guns?**

**Friend: He could jump out the window!**

**Me: He's outside!**

**Friend: THEN HE COULD FLY! I DON'T KNOW!**

**He was so shocked XD**

**By the way, I did kind of put what I think Heaven is like. It's just my opinion. If you don't believe in God or are another religion then I'm sorry if I offended you. Actually, I'm supposed to be at church right now with my school, but I didn't feel like going. :P**

**I got a lot of messages saying that people admired me for standing up to my teacher with the same-sex marriage thing. Don't be afraid to state your beliefs. I know it can be hard when living with people who tell you otherwise, but never let anyone put you down. Just remember that no matter what, there will always be someone who will accept you with open arms.**

**Now that I'm done with that prep-talk, I'm thinking of starting ANOTHER STORY! It'll be another GerIta and will be another high school story. But, I'm thinking of putting them in a CATHOLIC SCHOOL instead of the usual Hetalia School kind of thing. It definitely won't be as sad as this story. Should I do it? If I do, it won't be for a little while. Please tell me what you think. I may do other pairings, too.**

**And in case you were wondering, the Undertaker is a character from Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler). **

**I can't believe this story is over after nearly 2 months. I loved writing every single word, and I hope you loved reading it. Thank you so much.**

**Love, **

**Gianna ~**


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